is uniform, stained with blood and dust, the King sat at a
small writing-table in his retiring-room reading the day's letters and
telegrams. Already he had been busy with tongue and pen. His appeal
for intervention, couched in dignified and measured terms, had been
written, signed, and dispatched by special messenger to England,
France, and Germany. For Ughtred had a very keen sense of proportion.
Courageous though he was, and confident in the bravery of his people,
he knew that his resistance unaided could only be a matter of time.

Hiram Van Decht, now a privileged person at the palace, came in to him
as he sat there.

"I guess you don't want to be bothered just now," he remarked,
apologetically, "but Sara's bound to know how things have gone so
far."

Ughtred wheeled round in his chair and welcomed his visitor.

"Cigars at your elbow," he said. "Help yourself."

Van Decht disregarded the invitation. He looked steadily at the King.
Then he rang the bell.

"You'll forgive the liberty, I know," he said, "but I'm going to tell
that flunkey of yours to fetch a flask of wine, and see you drink
some."

Ughtred smiled.

"I was just going to order something," he said. "I've had a hard
night. So far nothing has gone amiss. Our outposts were rushed at
Solika, but our main position was easily held."

Van Decht nodded.

"That's good! Any fighting at Althea Pass?"

"We are being heavily shelled there and at Morania, but I consider
that both places are almost impregnable. Solika is where we must
concentrate. You see we have treachery to fear there. It is a frontier
town and full of small Russian traders. Reist is garrisoning the
place, and General Dartnoff is in command of the forces holding the
Pass. Just now everything is quiet. I fancy they are waiting to bring
up more heavy guns."

Van Decht lit a cigar meditatively.

"This is what beats me," he remarked. "I can never figure out your
European politics, but I should never have thought that England and
Germany would have allowed a small, unoffending country to be overrun
and grabbed by a lot of heathen infidels."

Ughtred sighed.

"It is hard to understand," he said. "Only you must remember this.
Selfishness is the keynote of international politics, as of many other
things. A single Power is always afraid of moving for fear of
disturbing the balance of nations. Besides, they all know that this is
no war between Turkey and Theos. It is Russia who is pulling th