nd I assure you they are quite
respectable people."

CHAPTER IX

PRELUDE A LA SOIREE D'UN GENERAL

"... of cabbages and kings."--Lewis Carroll.

A blue forage-cap appeared under the flap of the camouflaged tent.

"Messiou," cried the general, "we were beginning to despair of ever
seeing you again."

"Yo-ho! Hello--o!" shouted the Infant Dundas. "I _am_ glad! Come and
have some lunch, old man."

Aurelle, happy to find his friends again, fell to heartily on the
mutton, boiled potatoes and mint sauce. When they reached the cheese,
General Bramble questioned him about his journey.

"Well, Messiou, what about your leave? What is Paris looking like
nowadays, and why did your mother the French Mission tell us she was
keeping you two days at Abbeville?"

Aurelle told then the story of M. Lucas and of the King's visit.

"What's that, Messiou?" said General Bramble. "You've seen our King?
Does he look well?"

"Very well indeed, sir."

"Good old George!" muttered the general tenderly. "Yes, he looked
quite well when he came here. Tell us that story of the cook over
again, Messiou; it's a jolly good story."

Aurelle complied, and when he had done, he bent over towards Colonel
Parker and asked him why the general spoke of the King like an
affectionate nurse.

"The King," said the colonel, "is much more to us than you might
imagine. To the general, who is an Etonian, he is a kind of
neighbour. To Dundas, he's the colonel of his regiment. To the padre,
he's the head of the Church. To an old Tory like me, he's the living
embodiment of England's traditions and prejudices, and the pledge of
her loyalty to them in the future. As for the paternal tone, that's
because for half a century the King was a Queen. Loyalism became an
attitude of protective chivalry; nothing could have consolidated the
dynasty more firmly. Royalty is beloved not only by the aristocracy
but by all classes. It's a great asset to a people without
imagination like ours to be able to see in one man the embodiment of
the nation."

"Messiou," interposed the general, "didn't they give you an M.V.O.
for your services?"

"What is that, sir--a new ribbon?"

"My God!" exclaimed Dundas, much scandalized. "You've never heard of
the Victorian Order?"

"When King Edward played bridge," said the general, "and his partner
left it to him at the right moment, the King used to declare with
great satisfaction, 'No trumps, and you're an M.V.O.!'"

"T