and there was no man in the city to whom I could safely go. But last night I saw you crossing the square, and found that you lived here. So tonight I have come to borrow all you have, promising to repay it as soon as I have passed the frontier."

The lieutenant, all through this explanation, stared mutely into the speaker's face. When the pause came he drew his wits together. "Then your Majesty has not-has not"

"Run away?" laughed the King. "Not yet. But I'm going to. It's just this, Heldmann. Some rascals tried to kidnap me, and by an accident seized another man instead. So far, apparently, they have not discovered their mistake; and in the meantime I am getting away, after seeing the little play out to its present point. And it has been a very interesting play, though a little more rapid than I had expected."

Then he told the story, finding a certain bitter enjoyment in the astonishment of his listener. Certainly the poor lieutenant was a somewhat ludicrous figure as he struggled through his bewilderment to his tardy conclusions. Long before the end came a light had broken in upon him.

But Conrad did not allow him to speak his thoughts even when the tale was told. "Hush! that would be scandal," he said grimly. "Well, I should like to see his face when he discovers who his prisoner is-or, rather, isn't. I shall try to imagine it. It will add a new spice to the flavor of my freedom."

"Freedom?" echoed the lieutenant blankly; and a long pause followed the question. But then the older man had completed his survey of the position. "Then your Majesty escaped the plotters? And you are safe?"

"That is, so far," said the King.
"And it is not yet too late?"

"It is pretty late," was the cynical

retort.

But the lieutenant's right hand tightened upon the rail of the chair, and his left crept to his sword-hilt. Who would have suspected him of an impractical heroism? Formerly he had been head of the old Raschadt gendarmerie, and had been as much amazed as delighted when the transforming influence of the new order of things had placed him in charge of the Palace Guard, with a new title and a brilliant uniform. Perhaps this change which was, however, more apparent than real -had awakened in him a hitherto unsuspected ambition of a military character. And now-now he seemed to have been swung suddenly into a very whirlpool of events, to be caught up into an inner circle of State intrigue. Doubtless in that moment he saw himself high among the king-makers. But this was only stiffly and awkwardly expressed in his words and gestures, which made the listener smile in secret.

"No, it is not too late. I see light; I see a way! The man who managed the abduction-from your descriptionI am positive that it was Fenckener, the Inspector of Coast Lights; and Fenckener is the Premier's nephew!"

"The deuce he is!" said Conrad slowly.

"He is, though few people know it. He has control, of course, of the lighthouse on the Orphan, and the lighthouse-keepers; and I feel positive that the man he seized by mistake is a prisoner on the Orphan Rock. Why, there is no doubt about it! We must see him, if necessary release him, and bring him forward as a witness; and then the author of this accursed plot may look to himself! I shall be even a little sorry for him. Why, I will go to the Orphan myself-I and my son Bernard. My son, as your Majesty knows, is assistant editor of the Gazette."

Then Conrad sat upright. The loyalty and devotion in those stirring proposals did not strike him at the time.

He was only annoyed by their absurdity. "My dear man," he said, "are you crazy? I came here for help to get away, not for help to stay! As for the crown, I have-well, I have simply thrown it to the devil. And he is going to deal with it!"

The lieutenant's valorous excitement subsided. In the dusk his face subsided too.

"Heavens!" said the unkingly monarch, “why is it necessary to explain? They have broken my chains for me, and I am a prisoner no longer. I could not go out gracefully myself, but I can go now that I have been sent; and, in spite of being sent, I triumph, because the sender is amazingly deceived. Thus all the circumstances are favorable, and I go. Henceforward my life is my own. Besides, I tell you frankly I was very tired of it all. It was all very well to have the best intentions-you know I had them once; but there was well, there was an invincible obstacle. Take my word for it, Heldmann, an invincible obstacle. I simply retire from the stage-if you'll supply the funds!"

So

There was a long pause, while the lieutenant slowly realized the new situation. And then, of course, he began to plead, to reason, to argue, to entreat, bending his tongue to unaccustomed phrases, searching his mind for some new point that only proved as ineffective as the others. The King sometimes laughed, sometimes gave a keen, telling retort, sometimes snubbed the old man with a roughness that was inexcusable even under these trying circumstances; but through it all he remained fixed, and at last the pleader fell silent in exasperation and despair. The King was leaving Raschadt in the morning-that was certain, and no pleading could alter it. A youth's mingled obstinacy, resentment, mortification, and spirit of dare-devilment had built up a rampart which no ordi

nary man could pass. And the lieutenant was quite ordinary. His silence was the acknowledgment of defeat.

"And now," said Conrad, with an air of great patience, "if you have finished, I will take the money and go. I have been pestered by one of Rubin's plaguy spies at the 'Silver Heart,' and he may be searching for me now. If he finds me here, lieutenant, you may be compromised. Let me get away quickly."

Then the lieutenant seemed to acknowledge his defeat, and submitted to the inevitable. His sign of submission was the removal of his sword, which he unbuckled and placed in a corner of the room. Then he turned to the window, drew down the blinds, and lighted the lamp that stood upon the sideboard.

"Your Majesty has heard me with much graciousness," he said simply. "I acknowledge that in my excess of feeling I did not give sufficient weight to the difficulties of your task during the past three years. Now I hasten to admit that I was wrong, and that your Majesty is entirely justified in the course you are taking."

"Now we're coming to the light," cried Conrad, greatly relieved. “I knew I should make you see it. Well, now, the money; there is no time to lose."

"Certainly not. I will serve your Majesty at once. I can let you have twenty crowns in gold, and my check for as much as three hundred more."

"That will do splendidly. Thank you, lieutenant. You are the only gentleman in Zorne. I hope that the new King may give you rapid promotion. When everything is settled I wil tell him what you did to get me out of Zorne; and he should be even mor grateful than I am!"

Lieutenant Heldmann sat down at his bureau and proceeded to unlock it. He did things slowly at all times, and

tonight he was slower than ever, because he lingered to ask questions.

"I am grateful to your Majesty. But may I ask your present plans? I shall be anxious."

"Do not let yourself be torn by anxiety. I shall be quite safe.”

"There are, of course, amusements in plenty," said the lieutenant, as he took up his pen. "There is Paris."

"Quite so. There is always Paris." "Or Monte Carlo, or Ostend. Or there is Africa and the big hunt, or America and the big heiress. Fortunately there are occupations many, and some of them interesting. And several kings are always following them."

It was impossible to think of irony in connection with Heldmann-absolutely impossible. As a matter of fact, the King did think of it at that moment, but one glance at that wooden face reassured him. The old man was only trying in a clumsy way to be interesting and helpful.

"Quite so," he said, concealing his impatience and suspicion very skilfully. "I will consider what to do. In the meantime, lieutenant, make out your check to Peter Robinson of London. That name will afford you some protection if trouble should follow; but I will leave you to weave your own story around it."

The lieutenant wrote a check, blotted it, and turned to his keys again. From an inner drawer he drew a small bag of gold, and as he loosened the strings he made another humble remark. It was so humble, so unpretentious, that no one could have supposed it important. "Obviously," he said, "Rubin has long been in the pay of the Central Empires. Discomfited in the great war, they must win their way by other means than force. Your removal and the substitution of Prince Max will be the scoring of a good point in their game. The other Governments will be very much annoyed."

"A plague on both their houses!" said Conrad promptly. "They must find some other pawn to play with."

"Certainly!" said the lieutenant with heartiness. "There is no reason why your Majesty should be victimized."

He turned the gold out upon his blotter, and began to count. Now, indeed, the ordeal seemed nearly over, and the King began to look almost pleasant; but when he had counted five pieces the old man came to another pause. Obviously he could not talk and count at the same moment.

"Nevertheless," he said, "some trouble should be taken to lay the facts before the world. Your Majesty's supporters must see that this is done, otherwise the wrong story will be accepted; and that would give pain to your Majesty's many friends, pleasure to your few enemies. I am reminded at this moment of two persons who might be interested."

"Indeed?" said Conrad impatiently. "Yes, though it may seem absurd to mention them. Indeed, I only do it as an illustration. But I was thinking of the Margravine of Peden, in Thuramia, and her daughter, the little Countess Xenia. Your Majesty will recall, possibly, that they were present at your coronation, and had rooms at the Castle?"

Conrad rose on his elbow and stared. "What about them?" he asked abruptly.

"Very little, your Majesty, except as an illustration. But they were sitting on the terrace on the night of the fireworks display, and I chanced to be very near them. It was entirely dark, and they did not know of my presence, so they spoke clearly, the Margravine having a peculiarly strident voice."

"Rather!" said the King under his breath.

"She was, I regret to say, very uncomplimentary to your Majesty and to the prospects of Zorne. Evidently the little countess had spoken well of

you-a child's hero-worship, your Majesty-she was then only fourteen-and her mother took occasion to correct her views. The experiment, she declared, would end in disaster. You were, she said, too young to be wise, and it was well known that the men of your family lacked certain essentials -stability, patience, persistence, sense of responsibility.”

"Absurd old woman!" said Conrad. "You should have arrested her for high treason, lieutenant. But go on. What else did she say?"

"Little else, your Majesty, fortunately. But the little countess protested with quite an amusing earnestness and I stayed long enough to note her opinion. May I repeat her words?"

"As an antidote, I hope. That morning I had met her in the park, quite by accident, and had taken a long walk with her. So, of course, she knew all about me! What did she know, lieutenant?"

"I can only tell what she said," answered the lieutenant, without a smile. "She said she felt sure that you were different from the other men of your family, and that you would prove to be a King of surpassing excellence. She used the word 'hero,' your Majesty, -actually she did. And she declared this that you would be good to your people, loyal to your friends, and terrible but kind to your enemies. A large program, your Majesty!"

"Large indeed!" said the King. "Good heavens!"

Then there was silence for the space of several minutes. The lieutenant counted his money twice, and then brought it over to the couch. He gave it to the King, and returned to bring the check. Conrad concealed the gifts with some care, and then prepared to leave; but seemingly his impatience had now evaporated, and he was considering. It was in a very casual way that he showed the course of his thoughts. Chambers's Journal.

"You know my plans, Heldmann," he said, "and I am glad that they merit your approval. But at the beginning of our interview you would have urged me to take some other course. What course were you going to suggest?"

The lieutenant did not seem surprised; he scarcely seemed interested. Surely, he had learned discretion this evening! "Oh, your Majesty, it is not for me to suggest a course! I wished rather to deprecate haste and to suggest delay, even if delay should mean a little risk. And it seemed to me". "Yes,"

yawn.

said the King with a

"I was about to ask you to remain in the capital another day-no more."

"But for what purpose?" cried Conrad. "Man, if everything could be made smooth at this moment I would not wish to stay. Can you not understand that I am sick to the heart? You cannot change my purpose now." Heldmann did not answer. He stood

still, humbly and woodenly receptive, patient, waiting.

For a moment Conrad fumed and bubbled with impatience; but suddenly that meek, wooden aspect seemed to strike him, seemed to appeal to him. He laughed. "Bah!" he said; "you are dreaming, Heldmann. But you have earned the right to make a request, and I will agree to it. I will remain at the 'Silver Heart' for another twentyfour hours-if Rubin permits! Will that do?"

The lieutenant bowed. His face certainly gave no indication of his feelings, for he had schooled it well during the last half-hour. But ten minutes later, when he had seen Conrad off the premises without mishap the first thing he did on returning to his room was to wipe the beads of sweat from his high, bare brows. "I am too old for this work," he muttered wearily. "And yet there is more to be done. Twenty-four hours!"

W. E. Cule.