e girl down the table.

She smiled suddenly, to the amazement of her sinister companions.

"Have no fear, Brutus. When he hears that you object, he will be very
polite and give us a wide berth," she said. Peter flushed angrily.

"He doesn't mean any good by you," he snapped. "He'll fool you
and--poof! Away he goes, rejoicing."

She still smiled. "You have a very good opinion of me, Peter Brutus."

"Well," doggedly, "you know what men of his type think of shopgirls.
They consider them legitimate prey."

"And what, pray, do men of your type think of us?" she asked quietly.

"Enough of this," interposed William Spantz. "Now, Brutus, what does
Count Marlanx say to this day two weeks? Will he be ready? On that day
the Prince and the Court are to witness the unveiling of the Yetive
memorial statue in the Plaza. It is a full holiday in Graustark. No man
will be employed at his usual task and--"

Brutus interrupted him. "That is the very day that the Count has asked
me to submit to the Committee. He believes it to be the day of all days.
Nothing should go amiss. We conquer with a single blow. By noon of that
day, the 26th of July, the Committee of Ten will be in control of the
State; the new regime will be at hand. A new world will be begun, with
Edelweiss as the centre, about which all the rest shall revolve. We--the
Committee of Ten--will be its true founders. We shall be glorified
forever--"

"We've heard all this before, Brutus," said Julius Spantz unfeelingly,
"a hundred times. It's talk, talk, talk! What we need now is action. Are
we sure that the Count will be prepared to do all that he says he will
on the 26th of July? Will he have his plans perfected? Are his forces
ready for the stroke?"

"Positively. They await the word. That's all I can say," growled Peter.
"The death of the Prince is the signal for the overthrow of the present
government and the establishment of the new order of equal humanity."

"After all," mused Julius, Master-at-arms in the Castle, "it is more
humane to slay the Prince while he is young. It saves him from a long
life of trouble and fear and the constant dread of the very thing that
is to happen to him now. Yes, it is best that it should come soon." Down
in his heart, Julius loved the little Prince.

For an hour longer the Committee discussed plans for the eventful day.
Certain details were left for future deliberations; each person had his
part to play and each one was settled in h