ancis has your notebook," the Queen said. "You just told
me."

"All right," Malone said, and stopped and took a deep breath. "My
God," he said after a pause. "What is that supposed to mean? Did I
give it to her after all?"

"No," the Queen said.

"Did I lose it, and did she pick it up?"

"No," the Queen said.

"My God," Malone said again. "All right. I give up. Is this Twenty
Questions?"

"Sir Kenneth!" the Queen said. "What a way to talk to your Queen!"

Malone took another breath. "I'm sorry," he muttered. "But--"

"Yes, I know," the Queen said sympathetically. "You're upset. But you
didn't give Miss Francis the notebook, and she didn't find it after
you'd lost it."

"Then--" Malone stared. "She stole it. She stole it from me."

"I imagine she took it right from your jacket pocket," the Queen said.
"Now, if you'd only wear proper clothing, and a proper pouch at your
belt--"

"I'd be stared at," Malone said. "In court clothing."

"No one in New York would stare at you," the Queen said. "They'd think
it was what they call an advertising stunt."

"Anyhow," Malone said, "I wasn't wearing court clothing. So that made
it easy for her to steal the notebook. But why, for God's sake? Why?"

"Because," the Queen said, "she needed it."

_"Needed it?"_ Malone shrieked.

"Please, Sir Kenneth," the Queen said. "Don't talk to your Sovereign
in that manner. And I do wish you'd stop thinking of that girl as
Dorothy Francis. She isn't at all, you know."

"No," Malone said. "I don't know. If she isn't Dorothy Francis, who in
hell is she?"

"Don't swear, Sir Kenneth," the Queen said. "She's Dorothea Francisca
Fueyo, if you want to know."

Malone gulped. "Then she's--"

"That's right," the Queen said. "She's little Miguel Fueyo's older
sister."

10

Malone put in a great deal of time, he imagined, just staring at the
face of the little old lady on the screen. At last he spoke. "My God,"
he said. "Her name is Fueyo. I'll be damned."

"I've told you," the Queen said with some asperity, "not to swear, Sir
Kenneth."

"I know," Malone said. "But--"

"You're excited," the Queen said. "You're stunned. Goodness, you don't
need to tell me that, Sir Kenneth. I know."

"But she's--" Malone discovered that he couldn't talk. He swallowed a
couple of times and then went on. "She's Mike Fueyo's sister."

"That's exactly right, Sir Kenneth," the Queen said. "That's just what
I told