well it may have done so.

"One moment!" called out Peter Brutus, lifting his hand imperatively.
The speaker ceased his mouthings. "Count Marlanx desires the immediate
presence of the following citizens at his office in the Tower. I shall
call off the names." He began with William Spantz. The name of each of
his associates in the Committee of Ten followed. After them came a score
of names, all of them known to be supporters of the anarchist cause.

"What is the business, Peter?" demanded William Spantz.

"Does it mean we are to begin so soon the establishing of the new
order--" began Anna Cromer, her face aglow. Peter smiled wanly.

"Do not ask me," he said, emphasising the pronoun. "I am only commanded
to bring the faithful few before him."

"But why the armed escort?" growled Julius Spantz, who had spent an
unhappy twenty-four hours in bondage.

"To separate the wheat from the chaff," said Peter. "Move on, good
people, all you whose names were not called." The order was to the few
timid strangers who were there because they had nowhere else to go. They
scattered like chaff.

Ten minutes later every member of the Committee of Ten, except Peter
Brutus, was behind lock and bar, together with their shivering
associates, all of them dumbly muttering to themselves the awful
sentence that Marlanx had passed upon them.

"You are to die at sunset. Graustark still knows how to punish
assassins. She will make an example of you to-day that all creatures of
your kind, the world over, will not be likely to forget in a century to
come. There is no room in Graustark for anarchy. I shall wipe it out
to-day."

"Sir, your promise!" gasped William Spantz. "We are your friends--the
true Party of--"

"Enough! Do not speak again! Captain Brutus, you will send criers abroad
to notify the citizens that I, Count Marlanx, have ordered the execution
of the ringleaders in the plot to dynamite the Prince. At sunset, in the
square. Away with the carrion!"

Then it was, and not till then, that the Committee of Ten found him out!
Then it was that they came to know Peter Brutus! What were their
thoughts, we dare not tell: their shrieks and curses were spent against
inpenetrable floors and walls. Baron Dangloss heard, and, in time,
understood. Even he shrank back and shuddered.

It has been said that Marlanx was a soldier. There is one duty that the
soldier in command never neglects: the duty to those who fell while
fighting bravely for