'Practically all,' Hamilton answered. 'A few other letters of no
importance. Stay; no, I forgot. These cards were left this morning, a
little after nine o'clock, by a young lady who rode up attended by her
groom.'

'A young lady,' said Ericson, in some surprise, as he extended his hand
for the cards.

'Yes, and a very pretty young lady too,' Hamilton answered, 'for I
happened to be in the hall at the time, and saw her.'

Ericson took the cards and looked at them. They were two in number; one
was a man's card, one a woman's. The man's card bore the legend 'Sir
Rupert Langley,' the woman's was merely inscribed 'Helena Langley.' The
address was a house at Prince's Gate.

The Dictator looked up surprised. 'Sir Rupert Langley, the Foreign
Secretary?'

'I suppose it must be,' Hamilton said, 'there can't be two men of the
same name. I have a dim idea of reading something about his daughter in
the papers some time ago, just before our revolution, but I can't
remember what it was.'

'Very good of them to honour fallen greatness, in any case,' Ericson
said. 'I seem to have more friends than I dreamed of. In the meantime
let us have breakfast.'

Hamilton rang the bell, and a man brought in the coffee and rolls which
constituted the Dictator's simple breakfast. While he was eating it he
glanced over the letters that had come. 'Better refuse all these
invitations, Hamilton.'

Hamilton expostulated. He was Ericson's intimate and adviser, as well as
secretary.

'Do you think that is the best thing to do?' he suggested. 'Isn't it
better to show yourself as much as possible, to make as many friends as
you can? There's a good deal to be done in that way, and nothing much
else to do for the present. Really I think it would be better to accept
some of them. Several are from influential political men.'

'Do you think these influential political men would help me?' the
Dictator asked, good-humouredly cynical. 'Did they help Kossuth? Did
they help Garibaldi? What I want are war-ships, soldiers, a big loan,
not the agreeable conversation of amiable politicians.'

'Nevertheless----' Hamilton began to protest.

His chief cut him short. 'Do as you please in the matter, my dear boy,'
he said. 'It can't do any harm, anyhow. Accept all you think it best to
accept; decline the others. I leave myself confidently in your hands.'

'What are you going to do this morning?' Hamilton inquired. 'There are
one or two people we ought to thi