en she entered
the Throne Room that she was almost overwhelmingly affectionate.

"My dear child!" she said, advancing to Daphne, who was standing in the
centre of the room with Mirliflor, "so pleased to see you both back! but
we're _all_ of us _that_! And, as I was saying to His--to my
husband--only a few minutes ago, 'I'm sure, Sidney,' I said, 'there's no
person in the world I would give up my crown to so willingly as I would
to dear Miss Heritage!'"

"Most happy," said her husband. "We've abdicated already, your--your
Majesty--both of us--as soon as we knew the facts."

"I--I'm most awfully glad to see your Majesty back again," said
Clarence, noting the flush on her cheeks and the sparkle in her eyes as
she glanced at Mirliflor, whom he envied more than ever. "I was
beginning to think I--er--shouldn't--you ran things a trifle close."

"Perhaps I did," said Daphne, "but you see, I thought it was wiser to
try to find Mirliflor, before being taken to--to Clairdelune." She said
this quite simply, for she could see that, as she had been sure of from
the first, both Clarence and his father were no parties to Mrs.
Stimpson's design, and she was anxious to spare them all knowledge of it
if she could.

Her words only confirmed Mrs. Wibberley-Stimpson's sense of security;
Daphne evidently suspected nothing, probably because the false Marshal
had never handed the Baron his secret instructions. "_Much_ the best
plan, I'm sure, your Majesty!" she agreed, "though it was fortunate for
_us_ that you found dear Prince Mirliflor so soon. However, it has all
ended happily, so we will say no more about it. And now I want to beg
that you mustn't consider Us. If you would like to have possession of
the Palace at once, you have only to say so. Or if I could be of any use
to you by staying on for a little, just to show you how things ought to
be done----?"

Daphne forced herself to be civil to her for her family's sake, not her
own.

"It is very good of you," she said, "but I'm afraid it won't be possible
for you to stay here."

"Well," said Mrs. Wibberley-Stimpson, "we shall be perfectly satisfied
with any residence--if it's only quite a moderate-sized castle--that
your Majesty is good enough to put at our disposal. Not _too_ far from
here, or poor Ruby"--here she glanced at her younger daughter, who had
taken possession of one of Daphne's hands, which she was kissing and
fondling--"would be _quite_ inconsolable at losing her dea