unshine. The Dictator
was one of the party. So was Hamilton. So was Soame Rivers. So was Miss
Paulo, on whose coming Helena had insisted with friendly pressure. Later
on were to come Professor Flick, and his friend Mr. Andrew J. Copping of
Omaha, in whom Helena, at Ericson's suggestion, had been pleased to take
some interest. So were Captain Sarrasin and his wife. Mr. Sarrasin, of
Hampstead, had been cordially invited, but he found himself unable to
venture on so much of a journey. He loved to travel far and wide while
seated at his chimney corner or on a garden seat in the lawn in front of
Miss Ericson's cottage, or of Camelot, his own.

The mind of the Dictator was disturbed--distressed--even distracted. He
was expecting every day, almost every hour, some decisive news with
regard to the state of Gloria. His feelings were kept on tenter-hooks
about it. He had made every preparation for a speedy descent on the
shores of his Republic. But he did not feel that the time was yet quite
ripe. The crisis between Gloria and Orizaba seemed for the moment to be
hanging fire, and he did not believe that any event in life could arouse
the patriotic spirit of Gloria so thrillingly as the aggression of the
greater Republic. But the controversy dragged on, a mere diplomatic
correspondence as yet, and Ericson could not make out how much of it was
sham and how much real. He knew, and Hamilton knew, that his great part
must be a _coup de theatre_, and although he despised political _coups
de theatre_ in themselves, he knew as a practical man that by means of
such a process he could best get at the hearts of the population of
Gloria. The moment he could see clearly that something serious was
impending, that moment he and his companions would up steam and make for
the shores of Gloria. But just now the dispute seemed somehow to be
flickering out, and becoming a mere matter of formally interchanged
despatches. Was that itself a stratagem, he thought--were the present
rulers of Gloria waiting for a chance of quietly selling their Republic?
Or had they found that such a base transaction was hopeless? and were
they from whatever reason--even for their own personal safety--trying to
get out of the dispute in some honourable way, and to maintain for
whatever motive the political integrity and independence of Gloria? If
such were the case, Ericson felt that he must give them their chance.
Whatever might be his private and personal doubts and fear