been right about her feeling, that she really did not
like the idea of the marriage.

Konrad Karl took her by the hand and led her into the palace.

The Queen was still sitting in the stern of the boat. Since Madame
Ypsilante fell into Konrad Karl's arms the Queen had turned her back
on the landing slip and gazed steadily out to sea. Only when the
sound of their footsteps made her sure that her guests were going into
the palace did she venture to look round cautiously.

"It's all right," said Gorman. "You can come on shore."

He held out his hand to her.

"And do tell me," he said, "where you found her. She looked to me
rather as if she had been washed up some time yesterday and had spent
last night in a cave."

"Who is she?" said the Queen.

"Her name," said Gorman, "is Ypsilante, Madame Corinne Ypsilante."

"She told me that much. But I want to know what is she?"

The question was an awkward one to answer. Gorman did the best he
could.

"A friend of the King's," he said.

"Well," said the Queen. "He'll be able to marry her now. The poor
thing was in dreadful distress. She thought he was going to marry me.
And she's engaged to him. She told me so herself."

I am sure that Gorman did not smile; but there must have been a
twinkle in his eyes which betrayed him. The Queen is extremely quick
at reading such signs. She turned on him sharply.

"Aren't they engaged to be married?" she asked.

"Kings," said Gorman, "are in a peculiar position with regard to these
matters. Their matrimonial arrangements are not made in what we regard
as the normal way. To speak of a king as being 'engaged' is----"

"I'm a queen."

"Of course. Of course."

"And I'm engaged to be married; so why can't he be? Anyhow he is, for
she told me so. I asked her and she said yes!"

Gorman did not feel equal to arguing about the precise nature of
Madame Ypsilante's claims on the King.

"You haven't told me yet where you found her," he said.

"Kalliope and I," said the Queen, "were picnicking in a little bay a
long way from this, quite the other side of the island. There was a
fishing boat standing in towards the shore. It came to our beach and
she got out. That's all."

"Quite simple after all," said Gorman. "I suppose you were scarcely
even surprised."

"Well, I was rather," said the Queen, "just at first until she told
me."

"Told you what?" said Gorman. "You're skipping all the interesting
part."

"Don't be stupid," sai