her, one of us couldn't get on
alone.'

The Dictator felt his eyes growing a little moist at this curious
revelation of conjugal affection.

'May I have the honour soon,' he asked, 'of being presented to Mrs.
Sarrasin?'

'Mrs. Sarrasin, sir,' said her husband, 'will come whenever she is asked
or sent for. Mrs. Sarrasin will regard it as the highest honour of her
life to be allowed to serve upon your staff with me.'

'Has she been with you in all your campaigns?' Ericson asked.

'In all what I may call my irregular warfare, certainly,' Captain
Sarrasin answered. 'When first we married I was in the British service,
sir; and of course they wouldn't allow anything of the kind there. But
after that I gave up the English army--there wasn't much chance of any
real fighting going on--and I served in all sorts of odd irregular
campaignings, and Mrs. Sarrasin found out that she preferred to be with
me--and so from that time we fought, as I may say, side by side. She has
been wounded more than once--but she doesn't mind. She is not the woman
to care about that sort of thing. She is a very remarkable woman.'

'She must be,' the Dictator said earnestly. 'When shall I have the
chance of seeing her? When may I call on her?'

'I hardly venture to ask it,' Captain Sarrasin said; 'but would you
honour us by dining with us--any day you have to spare?'

'I shall be delighted,' the Dictator replied. 'Let us find a day. May I
send for my secretary?'

Mr. Hamilton was sent for and entered, bland and graceful as usual, but
with a deep sore at his heart.

'Hamilton, how soon have I a free day for dining with Captain Sarrasin,
who is kind enough to ask me?'

Hamilton referred to his engagement-book.

'Saturday week is free. That is, it is not filled up. You have seven
invitations, but none of them has yet been accepted.'

'Refuse them all, please; I shall dine with Captain Sarrasin.'

'If Mr. Hamilton will also do me the pleasure----' the kindly captain
began.

'No, I am afraid I cannot allow him,' the Dictator answered. 'He is sure
to have been included in some of these invitations, and we must diffuse
ourselves as much as we can. He must represent me somewhere. You see,
Captain Sarrasin, it is only in obedience to Hamilton's policy that I
have consented to go to any of these smart dinner parties at all, and he
must really bear his share of the burden which he insists on imposing
upon me.'

'All right; I'm game,' Hamilton s