doubtless coming up behind the hills to the east,
but the darkness was still absolute as ever about the camp, save indeed
for the lambent brilliancies of the stars.

They were now waiting only for the royal party, and the time seemed long
to impatient Rollo. Were all his plans, so carefully laid, to be made
naught because, forsooth, a queen in danger of her life must still keep
up the punctilios of a court and cherish the pettishnesses and caprices
of a spoilt child? Was his reputation to go down to posterity as that of
a man who, being trusted with the lives of a woman and a child, had
brought them straight to the shambles?

At last--there! They were coming. But why, for God's sake, could not
they make less noise?

With a motion of his hand which directed El Sarria to keep an eye upon
the gagged sentries, Rollo went forward to receive the Queen and conduct
her to her horse. Munoz, however, came out first, carrying in his arms
the little Princess, who, so soon as she heard Rollo's voice, whispered
her desire to be transferred to him. But Rollo had already offered the
Queen his arm, and whispering her to tread carefully, led the way to the
little hollow where Sergeant Cardono kept the three bridles in his hand,
cursing meanwhile the slow movements of crowned heads and ennobled
_estanco_-keepers in Romany of the deepest and blackest.

He had cause to curse another peculiarity of monarchs and spoilt
children before many minutes had gone by. Till now the success of the
plot had been complete. There remained indeed only to mount and ride. El
Sarria brought up the rear, assuring himself for the hundredth time that
his weapons were in good order and ready to his hand. No great general,
Ramon Garcia was a matchless legionary.

But the Queen-Regent would by no means submit to be assisted to her seat
(it was a man's saddle) by Rollo. She called to her husband in a voice
clearly audible all about.

"Fernando--my love! Come to me--I want you!"

As Rollo said afterwards--no queen born under the lilies of Bourbon ever
ran a nearer chance of having the rude hand of a commoner set over her
august mouth than did Maria Cristina of Naples on this occasion.

Nor was the appeal without effect.

Senor Munoz instantly put the little Princess down upon the ground and
hastened to his wife. What happened _after_ that is not very clear, even
when the subject has been repeatedly and exhaustively threshed out by
the persons most immediat