It was quite natural. A
mother, weighing the actions of others in a matter touching the safety
of her son, would hardly make allowance for the incredulity such a
messenger as Sobieski would inspire, and Beaumanoir tactfully led the
talk to a less serious topic.

"You charged me, a little while ago, Miss Vernon, with deserting our
sovereign lord the King, whereas the exact opposite is true," he said.
"I am here on duty. 'Berty,' said my liege, 'stop at home to-day and
amuse my mother and Joan,' his very words. Am I amusing you? No! Then I
must go and find that funny little Pole and beseech him to tell us his
best before breakfast story. Gad! He has some rippin' after dinner ones.
He had us all roaring last night, and the funniest thing was to hear him
spinning the same yarn in the local lingo, so that Nesimir and the other
Serbs could share in the festivities. Prince Michael and Alec had the
pull of me there, because they could laugh twice. By the way, Princess,
Monsieur Poluski was well acquainted with your husband a good many years
ago. They first met in New York, it seems. Poluski coolly informed us
that he was obliged to leave Warsaw about that time because he had
invented a new explosive specially adapted for removing crowned heads.
Fancy him saying that when a real live King was sitting next to him."

"Alec is very fond of Felix," said Joan. "He knows quite well that our
friend talks about things he has never done and never means to do. Why,
Felix is the most tender hearted man living. His generosity is
proverbial, and he would give away the last franc in his pocket if a
starving woman begged of him. His anarchist notions are all nonsense. He
has cared little about political affairs during the last ten years, and
his only real happiness now is to paint the portrait of a pretty woman
and sing at his work. If it was not for the belief that he is mixed up
with dynamitards and other weird creatures, he would be one of the best
known artists in Paris."

Beaumanoir called to mind the quiet confidence in Poluski's voice when
describing the potency of that curious cigar-shaped bomb which so
narrowly escaped being hurled at the mutineers during the fight.

"There is a lot more in Poluski's make-up than one would give him credit
for at a glance," said he.

"I understand he was really a firebrand in his youth," remarked the
Princess. "My husband and he disagreed so strongly at one period that
their acquaintance ceased d