sef should never be a king.

"My father wished to save Leopold in spite of himself; and then, he had
no love for Josef. At a dinner given at the legation, there was among
others a toast to her Majesty. The duke laughed and tossed the wine
to the floor. It lost him his crown, for my father never forgave
the insult. When the duke died, his daughter took up the work with
surprising vigor. It was all useless; father was a rock, and would
listen neither to bribes nor threats. Now they are after me. They have
hunted me in India, London, and Vienna. I am an obscure soldier, with
all my titles and riches; they threaten me with death. But I am here,
and my father's wishes shall be carried out. That is all. I am glad that
we have come together; you have more invention than I have."

"But why did you come yourself? You could have sent an agent. That would
have been simple."

"An agent might be bought. It was necessary for me to come. However,
I might have waited till the twentieth. I should have come openly and
informed the British minister of my mission. As to the pheasants, they
could have waited. Perhaps my fears are without foundation, unless you
have been the unconscious cause of my true name being known. Every one
has heard the story. It is known as 'Fitzgerald's folly,' and has gone
the rounds of the diplomatic circles for ten years. I shall ask for an
audience to-morrow morning."

"And these certificates fall due the same day that the princess is to be
married," mused his auditor. "What a yarn for the papers!" his love of
sensation being always close to the surface. "Your father, you say, took
four million crowns; what became of the fifth?"

"The duke was permitted to secure that."

"A kind of court plaster for his wounds, eh? Why don't you get that
other million and run the kingdom yourself? It's a great opportunity."
Maurice laughed.

"Her Royal Highness must not be forgotten. My father thought much of
her."

"But really I do not see why you are putting yourself to all this
trouble. The king will pay off the indebtedness; the kingdom is said to
be rich, or Austria wouldn't meddle with it."

"The king, on the twentieth of this month, will be some three millions
short."

"And since he can not pay he is bankrupt. Ah, I see the plan. The duke
knew that he wouldn't be able to pay."

"You have hit it squarely."

"But Austria, having placed Leopold here, is his sponsor."

"Austria has too many debts of her own;