n the evening paper and that
delayed me."

"Very glad, dear chap; very glad indeed," began Narkom. Then, as his eye
fell upon the particular evening paper in question lying on the
writing-table, a little crumpled from use, but with a certain
"displayed-headed" article of three columns' length in full view, he
turned round and stared at Cleek with an air of awe and mystification.
"My dear fellow, you must be under the guardianship of some uncanny
familiar. You surely must, Cleek!" he went on. "Do you mean to tell me
that is what kept you at home? That you have been reading about the
preparations for the forthcoming coronation of King Ulric of
Mauravania?"

"Yes; why not? I am sure it makes interesting reading, Mr. Narkom. The
kingdom of Mauravania has had sufficient ups and downs to inspire a
novelist, so its records should certainly interest a mere reader. To be
frank, I found the account of the amazing preparations for the
coronation of his new Majesty distinctly entertaining. They are an
excitable and spectacular people, those Mauravanians, and this time they
seem bent upon outdoing themselves."

"But, my dear Cleek, that you should have chosen to stop at home and
read about that particular affair! Bless my soul, man, it's--it's
amazing, abnormal, uncanny! Positively uncanny, Cleek!"

"My dear Mr. Narkom, I don't see where the uncanny element comes in, I
must confess," replied Cleek with an indulgent smile. "Surely an
Englishman must always feel a certain amount of interest in Mauravanian
affairs. Have the goodness to remember that there should be an
Englishman upon that particular throne. Aye, and there would be, too,
but for one of those moments of weak-backed policy, of a desire upon the
part of the 'old-woman' element which sometimes prevails in English
politics to keep friendly relations with other powers at any cost.

"Brush up your history, Mr. Narkom, and give your memory a fillip.
Eight-and-thirty years ago Queen Karma of Mauravania had an English
consort and bore him two daughters and one son. You will perhaps recall
the mad rebellion, the idiotic rising which disgraced that reign. That
was the time for England to have spoken. But the peace party had it by
the throat; they, with their mawkish cry for peace, peace at any price,
drowned the voices of men and heroes, and, the end was what it was!
Queen Karma was deposed, she and her children fled, God knows how, God
knows where, and left a dead husband an