at's why I reveal myself to Your Majesty.
You are to save the person that brought me."

"Have mercy, mademoiselle. One must leap too far who hopes to understand
you."

"But there's nothing to understand. Your Majesty has only to keep
Colonel Dupin from shooting him."

Maximilian frowned heavily at the Frenchman's name.

"On the porch just now," Jacqueline explained, "when you finished
speaking, he--the man I am speaking of--announced that he wanted to see
you, but the Tiger drew his pistols to shoot him if he moved."

"Then naturally your friend did not move?"

"Your Majesty does not know him. But he stopped for me."

"Were you so afraid Dupin would lose his prisoner?"

"I had no desire to see the prisoner commit suicide. But I had to
promise him that he should see Your Majesty later."

"To beg----"

"He is not one to whine for his life, sire. It is other business he
means. But Your Majesty need not hear his business. Your Majesty need
only _see_ him. Besides, it would hardly be court usage, granting
him an audience so informally, would it?"

"N-o, but if I am not to hear him, why should I see him?"

"To save his life, parbleu!"

"And why, since he is not concerned about that?"

"But I am, sire, and I count on Your Majesty to help me repay an
obligation."

Maximilian was quick at clemency, but no one likes to have his
weaknesses played upon.

"Mademoiselle, who is this man? What has he done?"

"An American, sire." Maximilian frowned. "A Confederate, I believe." The
frown vanished. "And Colonel Dupin believes him to be an accomplice of
Rodrigo Galan. But he is not. He fought Rodrigo Galan, in--in my
behalf."

Maximilian frowned again. "And so," he said, trying to do it lightly, "I
have this unknown American to thank for the pleasure of seeing you,
mademoiselle? Otherwise, I should not have known that you were here,
and----"

He stopped. The gray eyes were laughing at him. Was his jealousy then so
apparent? And was it jealousy? Evidently, since she had discovered it.
And that vexed him, because he had supposed that he was hiding his pique
under a great self control. Angrily he stepped toward her, but the saucy
eyes only grew merrier. Then his mood changed. He resolved grimly on
open fighting. He meant to have either decisive honors or a decisive
repulse. For it was his tantalizing doubts of her that made her laugh at
him. Yet, when he spoke, he could not help the quaver of entreaty in his
voice.