ven a useless gift.
On me and on Corinne they have bestowed the power, the knowledge, the
skill to enjoy; and we, damn it all, have no money."

The King sighed deeply. Madame Ypsilante had tears in her eyes. She
was in full sympathy with the King's new mood. Gorman was astonished.
The price which Mr. Donovan had paid for the crown of Salissa was a
large one. Even after ten thousand pounds had been spent on Madame
Ypsilante's pearls there was a sum left which it would be difficult to
spend in a few weeks.

"Surely," he said, "you haven't got rid of all the money yet? You
can't have spent it in the time. I didn't think you could be hard up
again so soon. Even when I heard that Madame wanted to sell her
pearls----"

"Sell my pearls!" said Madame. "But never! Never, never!!"

There were no tears in her eyes then. The mood of self-pity induced by
the King's reflections on left-handed gods had passed away. She looked
fierce as a tigress when she shot out her next question to Gorman.

"Who has said that I wish to sell my pearls? Who has said it? I
demand. I insist: Tell me his name and I will at once kill him. I
shall pluck out his heart and dogs shall eat it."

Gorman did not care whether Goldsturmer's heart was eaten by dogs or
not. He did want to understand how it came that the astute Jew
expected to have the pearls offered to him. It was plain that Madame
Ypsilante did not want to sell them and that she had not suggested the
sale.

"It was Goldsturmer," said Gorman, "who told me. He seemed to think
that Miss Donovan might buy them."

Madame at once knocked down two wine-glasses and a vase of flowers.

"That cursed offspring of the litter of filthy Jews who make Hamburg
stink! Tell him that I will pull out his hair, his teeth, his eyes,
but that never, never will that American miss touch one of my pearls.
I will not sell, will not, will not."

The King looked round. He satisfied himself that the waiters had left
the room.

"Alas," he said, "alas, my poor Corinne! But consider. There is an
English proverb: the horse needs must trot along, trot smart, when it
is the devil who drives."

"He is the devil, that Emperor," said Madame. "But not for any Emperor
will I part with one single pearl."

"Look here," said Gorman. "There's evidently been some mistake about
Goldsturmer and the pearls. I don't profess to understand what's
happening, but if I'm to help you in any way----"

"You are to help damnably," said t