-he feels his position a good
deal--is that if he could get a title--knighthood for instance--or even
an O.B.E., it would set him up again; but they won't give him a thing.
He has paid handsomely into the best advertised charities and showed me
the receipts himself--and handed over L10,000 to the party funds, giving
L5,000 to each party to make sure; and now he feels he's been swindled.
They won't do it--can't, I suppose. The eggs were too fishy."

"I should not care," said the king, "if all the eggs were fishes. If I
were a party and could get L5,000. But I am not a party, Gorman, I am a
king."

"Exactly," said Gorman, "and it's kings who give those things, the
things Bilkins wants. Isn't there a Megalian Order--Pink Vulture or
something?"

"Gorman, you have hit it," said the king delightedly. "You have hit the
eye of the bull, and the head of the nail. I can give an order, I can
say 'Bilkins, you are Grand Knight of the Order of the Pink Vulture of
Megalia, First Class.' Gorman, it is done. I give. Bilkins pays. The
world admires the honourableness of the Right Honourable Sir Bilkins.
His character is washed white. Ah, Corinne, my beloved, you shall spit
in the face of the manager of Emile's. I said I cannot ramp. I have no
eggs. I was wrong. The Vulture of Megalia lays an egg for Bilkins."

"You've got the idea," said Gorman. "But we can't rush the thing. Your
Pink Vulture is all right, of course. I'm not saying anything against
it. But most people in this country have never heard of it, and
consequently it wouldn't be of much use to a man of Bilkin's position.
The first thing we've got to do is to advertise the fowl; get it
fluttering before the public eye. If you leave that part to me I'll
manage it all right. I've been connected with the press far years."

Three days later it was announced in most of the London papers that the
King of Megalia had bestowed the Order of the Pink Vulture on Sir Bland
Potterton, His Majesty's Minister for Balkan Affairs, in recognition of
his services to the Allied cause in the Near East. Sir Bland Potterton
was in Roumania when the announcement appeared and he did not hear of
his new honour for nearly three weeks. When he did hear of it he refused
it curtly.

In the meanwhile the Order was bestowed on two Brigadier Generals and
three Colonels, all on active service in remote parts of the world.
Little pictures of the star and ribbon of the Order appeared in the back
pages of i