sted here idly through a generation of eating and sleeping.
Very likely his sword is grown with ivy. But now he must stretch his
sinews, now he must scour his scimitar, now he begins to be briskly
busy."

Robert drew from his thumb his massive gold signet-ring and handed it to
Hildebrand.

"Knock at his door. Show him my signet-ring and tell him to speed at
once to Syracuse, to my palace, for the beheading of my court-fool."

Hildebrand, weighing the great ring in the cup of his hand, stared at
his master.

"Have you caught the runagate?" he questioned, "and do you, indeed, mean
to divide him so dismally?"

"I have not caught him yet," said the King, with a frown; "but when I do
I will halve him and set up his head on a spear in Syracuse
market-place, as a warning to all who cross my pleasure."

Robert emphasized the word "all" so unpleasantly that Hildebrand
hastened to excuse himself from any suspicion of sympathy with the
offending jester.

"You may carve him into cutlets, for all I care," he said. "He was a
ribald thing, and deserves no pity."

He advanced towards the mosque as he spoke, while Robert screened
himself from view behind one of the pillars of the ruined temple.

As the fist of Hildebrand beat upon the door of the dwelling, the voice
of Theron answered from within: "Who knocks?"

"Open in the King's name!" Hildebrand cried, imperiously. He could hear
the voice of Theron inside repeat his words: "'In the King's name!'"

In another moment Theron opened the door and came out, closing it
carefully behind him.

"Who calls me in the King's name?" he asked, gazing in astonishment at
the brilliant youth who had summoned him.

"I am the Lord Hildebrand, the King's friend," Hildebrand answered,
impatiently, holding out the ring. "Here is the King's signet. He bids
you by my lips that you gather up your great sword and go to Syracuse
with what speed you may, for he has work for you."

Theron gave a heavy groan.

"Work for me?" he echoed.

"Ay, work for you!" Hildebrand retorted. "You have been idle a great
while, gaffer, but your age-long holiday dies to-day. We are no longer
in the reign of King Robert the Foolish."

Theron shook his head in protest.

"King Robert the Good," he murmured.

Hildebrand reiterated his nickname with a sneer:

"King Robert the Foolish! King Robert the Wise means to begin his reign
by beheading his court-fool as an example to all other fools and
courtiers. So b