"It is my fortune," he said, "good or bad, to know more of the world
outside than those who came before me. Please God, I am going to leave
Theos a richer and happier country when my days here are spent. If we
are spared from war I shall do it."

"In future," Marie said, "I shall dread war less. I begin to see that
there are other evil things."

She rose and bowed slightly to the King.

"Your Majesty will excuse me," she said. "I find the air a little
cold."

She passed down the terrace steps, her maid a few yards behind. A
certain reserve fell upon the others.

"I am afraid," Sara said to Nicholas of Reist, "that your sister does
not approve of me."

He hesitated.

"Marie," he said, "is passionately faithful to all the traditions of
our family and our race. This is a conservative country, and no one
more so than she. I myself am in close sympathy with her. Yet my
reason tells me that we are both wrong. Our peasantry are finding
already the struggle for existence a severe one--a single failure in
the crops would mean a famine. It has occurred to me, Mr. Van Decht,
that the advice of a man of affairs such as yourself may be very
useful to us."

Ughtred rose up.

"You shall talk progress together," he said, "while I show Miss Van
Decht my pictures."

* * * * *

Marie held the note in her fingers, looking at it doubtfully. It was
addressed to her, thrust secretly into her maid's hand by a stranger
in the crush outside the palace gates. At least that was the girl's
story. She tore it open.

"You are a patriot, the sister of Nicholas of Reist, and the
King's friend. By you he may be warned. The American woman
who with her father has come to Theos, was betrothed to him
in London. She has come to claim her position. The people of
Theos will never accept as their queen a woman of humble
birth, the child of tradespeople. Let the King be warned."

She tore the note into a thousand pieces, and walked restlessly up and
down the great room. Her eyes were lit with fire, and a scarlet spot
burned in her cheeks.

"Oh, if he should dare," she murmured. "If he should dare!"

She stopped abruptly before the picture of Rudolph. The flickering
light of fifty wax candles from the huge silver candelabra on the
oaken table lit up the dull canvas. It was Ughtred himself who looked
down at her.

"Queen of Theos!" she murmured. "Why not? We have drunk together f