account. If his sleep were once broken in upon, it could
not be put together again for that night. Therefore, his trusty henchman
and valet took good care that his Excellency's slumbers should not if
possible be disturbed. It should be said that mere noise never disturbed
him. He would waken if actually called, but otherwise could sleep in
spite of thunder. Now that he was in quiet civic life, it was easy
enough for him to get as much unbroken sleep as he needed. The
directions which his valet always gave at Paulo's Hotel were, that his
Excellency was to be roused from his sleep if the house were on
fire--not otherwise. Of course all this was perfectly understood by
everybody in Seagate Hall.

'Must we waken him?' Sarrasin asked doubtfully.

'Oh, yes,' Hamilton answered decisively. 'I'll take that responsibility
upon myself.'

'What I was thinking of,' Sarrasin whispered, 'was that if you and I
were to keep close watch he might have his sleep out and no harm could
happen to him.'

'But then we shouldn't get to know, for to-night at least, what the harm
was meant to be, or whose the hand it was to come from. If there really
is any attempt to be made, it will not be made while there is any
suspicion that somebody is on the watch.'

'True,' said Sarrasin, quite convinced and prepared for anything.

'My idea is,' Hamilton said, 'a very simple old chestnut sort of idea,
but it may serve a good turn yet--get his Excellency out of his room,
and one of us get into it. Nothing will be done, of course, until all
the lights are out, and then we shall soon find out whether all this is
a false alarm or not.'

'A capital idea! I'll take his Excellency's place,' Sarrasin said
eagerly.

Hamilton shook his head. 'I have the better claim,' he said.

'Tisn't a question of claim, my dear Hamilton. Of course, if it were, I
should have no claim at all. It is a question of effect--of result--of a
thing to be done, don't you see?'

'Well, what has that to do with the question? I fancy I could see it
through as well as most people,' Hamilton said, flushing a little and
beginning to feel angry. The idea of thinking that there was anybody
alive who could watch over the safety of the Dictator better than he
could! Sarrasin was really carrying things rather too far.

'My dear boy,' the kind old warrior said soothingly, 'I never meant
that. But you know I am an old and trained adventurer, and I have been
in all sorts of dangers and tig