ful, as you assure me--peaceful, I mean, as
regards the country on whose shores you are landing.'

'We shall land in Gloria,' the Dictator said, 'for the sake of Gloria,
for the love of Gloria.'

'Yes, I know that well. But men might do that in the sincerest belief
that for the sake of Gloria and for the love of Gloria they were bound
to overthrow by force of arms some bad Government. Now that I understand
distinctly is not your purpose.'

'That,' the Dictator said, 'is certainly not our primary purpose. We are
going out unarmed and unaccompanied. If the existing Government are
approved of by the people--well, then our lives are in their hands. But
if the people are with us----'

'Yes--and if the existing Government should refuse to recognise the
fact?'

'Then, of course, the people will put them aside.

'Ah! and so there may be civil war?'

'If I understand the situation rightly, the people will by the time we
land see through the whole thing, and will thrust aside anyone who
endeavours to prevent them from resisting the invader on the frontier. I
only hope that we may be there in time to prevent any act of violence.
What Gloria has to do now is to defend and to maintain her national
existence; we have no time for the trial or the punishment of worthless
or traitorous ministers and officials.'

'Well, well,' Sir Rupert said, 'I suppose I had better ask no questions
nor know too much of your plans. They are honourable and patriotic, I am
sure; and indeed it does not much become a part of our business here,
for we have never been in very cordial relations with the new Government
of Gloria, and I suppose now we shall never have any occasion to trouble
ourselves much about it. So I wish you from my heart all good-fortune;
but of course I wish it as the personal friend, and not as the Secretary
of State. That officer has no wish but that satisfactory relations may
be obtained with everybody under the sun.'

Ericson smiled, half sadly. He was thinking that there was even more of
an official fossilisation of Sir Rupert's earlier nature than Sir Rupert
himself had suspected or described. Hamilton assumed that it was all the
natural sort of thing--that everybody in office became like that in
time. Sarrasin again told himself that at no appeal less strong than
that of a personal and imploring request from her gracious Majesty
herself would he ever consent to become a Secretary of State for Foreign
Affairs.

Sir Rupe