No, indeed!" added Corny. "She looks woe-begone, and I don't see why
she shouldn't. To be taken captive with her people--may be she was
trying to save them--and then to have them almost cut her acquaintance
after they all get rescued and settled down!"

"Perhaps," said I, "as they are all living under Queen Victoria, they
don't want any other queen."

"That's nothing," said Corny, quickly. "There's a governor of this whole
island, and what do they want with another governor? If Queen Victoria
and the governor of this island were Africans, of course they wouldn't
want anybody else. But as it is, they do, don't you see?"

"They don't appear to want another queen," I said, "for they wont take
one that is right under their noses."

Corny looked provoked, and Rectus asked me how I knew that.

"I tell you," said Corny, "it don't make any difference whether they
want her or not, they haven't any right to make a born queen sit on a
stone and sell red-peppers. Do you know what Rectus and I have made up
our minds to do?"

"What is it?" I asked.

Corny looked around to see that no one was standing or walking near the
tree, and then she leaned toward me and said:

"We are going to seat her on her throne!"

"You?" I exclaimed, and began to laugh.

"Yes, we are," said Rectus; "at least, we're going to try to."

"You needn't laugh," said Corny. "You're to join."

"In an insurrection,--a conspiracy," said I. "I can't go into that
business."

"You must!" cried Corny and Rectus, almost in a breath.

"You've made a promise," said Corny.

"And are bound to stick to it," said Rectus, looking at Corny.

Then, both together, as if they had settled it all beforehand, they held
up their gray sea-beans, and said, in vigorous tones:

"Obey the bean!"

I didn't hesitate a moment. I held up my bean, and we clicked beans all
around.

I became a conspirator!

CHAPTER XI.

REGAL PROJECTS.

The next morning, we all went around to see the queen, and on the way we
tried to arrange our affair. I was only sorry that my old school-fellows
were not there, to go into the thing with us. There couldn't have been
better fun for our boys, than to get up a revolution and set up a
dethroned queen. But they were not there, and I determined to act as
their representative as well as I could.

We three--Corny, Rectus and I--were agreed that the re-enthronement--we
could think of no better word for the business--should be done as
q