mous. One can do things anonymously.
How did it come about?"

"It was the work of an incendiary."

"How do you know that?"

"There was absolute proof,--something which refused to burn,--a box of
matches made in Jingalo, or some other fire-resistant of a similar kind.
The perpetrator got off. Yes--the House of Ganz-Wurst certainly seems at
the present moment particularly to attract the attentions of these
obscurantists in politics. Who knows whether the hand which threw the
bomb at you had not already been dipped in the petrol which had given so
flaming an account of my claims to authorship?"

"What are you going to do about it?"

"Reprint, I suppose, as soon as I can afford it, or do you still wish me
not to? You hold almost the only copy that is left."

The King shook his head. "As I told you, Max, I think publication would
be very unwise; you would be sure to regret it afterwards. Remember
that some day you will come to the throne; and what you think you can do
now you can't do then. All at once it becomes impossible."

And then the King gave a queer consternated gasp, for he himself
remembered something--something he had conditionally promised, believing
that the conditions would never be fulfilled; and now fate had brought
them about; and if Max so willed it a thing would presently be taking
place much more disturbing to the institution of royalty than the
publication of a mere book.

To the King's last remark Max merely replied: "At present, sir, it is
you who are upon the throne and not I--a circumstance over which I have
very particular reasons for being glad. And now, sir, something has just
occurred to me: do not think that I am going to anticipate the date you
fixed, that is not till next week, but when all is settled, as it so
soon will be if I remain of sane mind, then I will present all the
preserved copies of my book to the lady whom you so disapprove of, and
she shall do with them exactly as she wishes--order a new edition, or
put them on the fire to help her make soup for the poor. That is a
little device of mine, sir, for bringing her into your good graces; for
if I know anything of her mind she will maintain that to publish such a
book without a full intention of putting its principles into practice is
a mere parade of insincerity and foolishness. And so--from your point of
view--she will be saving the monarchy from a danger which no one else
can avert; for I am not prepared to surrender my po