dminister to the storks before the journey. It is slow to act, and
will not affect them until after they have reached the country that you
call England. But they will never leave it again. And then it will
merely be supposed that he has acted treacherously."

"I see," said Queen Selina. "Yes, I should be perfectly safe _then_. If
there was any _other_ way, or I didn't feel so strongly that it was
really a kindness to Miss Heritage to save her from occupying a position
she is so unsuited to, I really don't think I _could_. But I suppose I
must do as you suggest."

She wrote the order, which she signed and sealed and handed to him. "I
shouldn't like her to be left stranded in England without any means of
support, Marshal," she said. "_That_ would be a thing I could _not_
reconcile to my conscience. So you will kindly see that she is supplied
with a sack of gold."

"That will be a truly royal act of generosity," he said, "especially as
I understand the number of sacks in your Majesty's treasury is by no
means large just now."

"I was forgetting. On second thoughts, perhaps you had better make it a
_purse_ instead," she amended. "It will keep her while she is looking
out for another situation."

"No doubt. And it would be wise, I think, if your Majesty would speed
her departure with your good wishes in presence of the Court."

But even Queen Selina shrank from such duplicity as that. "I--I don't
think I'll see her again myself," she said. "I--I'd rather not. It's
most distasteful to me to have to deceive her at all, Marshal, and I
shouldn't if it wasn't absolutely necessary in self-defence."

"Your Majesty has no need to assure me of that. I entirely understand,"
he said. "I would recommend that you send for the Baron at once, and
direct him to convey Lady Daphne to Clairdelune to-morrow. Then, after I
have given him the secret order, my part will be done and I shall be
free to enjoy my hunting." And with that he bowed himself out.

Queen Selina followed his counsel so well that the old Court Chamberlain
was completely deceived. Usurper as he now knew her to be, she was, he
thought, still unaware of it, and such magnanimity to her daughter's
successful rival gave him a better opinion of her. After all, he could
bring himself to continue in her service, now that the Court Godmother's
main object was attained. Like her, he had no wish to confess that he
had been so mistaken as to saddle the Kingdom with a bogus Sovere