alliope completed her obeisance and realized almost at once that she
had won the position of lady's maid to the Queen. She took her place
meekly behind her mistress. There she stood smiling at her sisters and
cousins who stood below. She was at the moment the most fortunate, the
most envied young woman on the island. Hers would be the inexpressible
joy of examining at her leisure all the wonderful clothes worn or
possessed by the Queen. She realized this; but neither she nor any
other woman on the island guessed, or, by the wildest flight, could
have imagined, how many and how various were the garments packed by
the English maid into the trunks which lay in the steamer's hold.

Kalliope was never beaten by her grandfather with osier rods. She
devoted herself utterly to the service of the Queen. The only fault
that could be found with her was that her devotion was too complete,
her service too untiring. At meals she stood behind the Queen's chair.
During the day she followed the Queen from room to room. She would
stand silent in a corner for an hour waiting while her mistress read
or talked. There was no escaping from the girl. At night she slept on
the floor at the end of the Queen's bed, wrapped in a rug, her head
pillowed on her own arm. She was quick to learn what was wanted, and
acquired, after a while, an uncanny power of anticipating the Queen's
wishes.

CHAPTER IX

Next morning the work of unloading the ship began. It went on at high
pressure for three days. On the fourth it slackened. Before the end of
the week everything was landed.

The donkey engine on the _Ida's_ fore-deck clanked and snorted. Down
in the hold the sweating sailors toiled. Packing-cases, great and
small, huge bales and brass-studded trunks were hoisted high, swung
clear of the ship's bulwarks and lowered, with much rattling of chains
and gear, into the waiting boats. The ship's lifeboats and the five
largest of the island boats plied to and fro between the steamer
and the shore. On the palace steps, islanders--men, women and
children--waited to take charge of the cargoes which the boats
brought. Captain Wilson was in command on board the _Ida_. On shore
Mr. Phillips directed the unpacking. He had the cases and bales hauled
up the flagstaff terrace. There they were prised or cut open. Tables,
chairs, carpets, beds, bedding, every article of household furniture
were unpacked and carried into the rooms of the palace. The islanders
w