something more
of difficulty.

The Sergeant was immovable at his post behind the thick twisted
vine-stems of the little balcony, over the twin doors, by one of which
the royal party had attempted to escape into the garden. While Rollo was
explaining his intentions, Cardono bit his lip and remained silent.

"Do you then not approve?" asked Rollo, gravely, when he had finished.

"Who is to command here in your absence?" answered the Sergeant in the
young Scot's own national manner.

"The command will naturally devolve on yourself," said Rollo, promptly;
"you will have the entire responsibility within the palace!"

"Which includes complete discretion, of course?"

"Certainly!" answered Rollo.

"Then," said the Sergeant, firmly, "my first act will be to lay Senor
Don Fernando Munoz by the heels!"

"As to that, you can do as you like," said Rollo, "but remember that you
may find yourself with another mad woman on your hands in the person of
the Queen-Regent!"

"I know how to deal with her!" replied the Sergeant; "go your way,
Colonel--depend upon it, the palace will be defended and justice done!"

Rollo nodded, and was turning on his heel without speaking, for the
thought of his interview with Concha was beginning to lie heavy on his
mind, when a whisper from the Sergeant called him back.

"When you are ready to go, return hither," he said; "I have the safest
way out of the palace to show you without so much as the opening of a
door or the unbarring of a window."

Rollo nodded again. He marvelled how it was that the Sergeant had
appeared so opportunely at his elbow when he had called upon him for
help. Now he was in the way of finding out.

The darkness was of the sort which might have been felt as Rollo
stumbled along the passages to the opposite side of the palace where
Concha, a loaded musket leaning against the wall on either side, was
watching keenly the square of grey grass and green trees in front of
her. Dark as the night was without, the girl had drawn the curtains
behind her, so that she was entirely isolated upon the balcony on which
she kneeled. In this, as usual, she had obeyed Rollo's commands to the
letter, and made sure that no faintest gleam of light should escape by
the window at which she kept her watch.

But spite of the intervening room and the thick curtains the girl had
heard his footsteps, light and quick, heard them across the entire
breadth of the palace, from the moment when he had