cle, and Father Paul pushed his way
forward from his place beside Miss Carson's chair. He was so greatly
moved that when he spoke his voice was harsh and broken. "What is your
authority for saying we have failed?" he demanded.

Gordon bowed gravely and turned and pointed to the Frenchman. "This
gentleman," he said, "is General Renauld, Commander-in-Chief of the
army of Messina. He is my authority. He knows all that you mean to
do. If he knows it, it is likely, is it not, that his army and the
President of the Republic know it also, and that when we attempt to
land they will be waiting for us."

The King silenced the second outburst that followed this by rising and
holding up his hand.

"Silence! I believe I can explain," he said. He was smiling, and his
bearing was easy and so full of assurance that the exclamations and
whispers died away on the instant. "I am afraid I see what has
happened," the King said. "But there need be no cause for alarm. This
gentleman is, as Mr. Gordon says, the Commander-in-Chief of the
Messinian army, and it is true he suspected that an armed force would
invade the island. It is not strange that he should have suspected it,
and it needed no traitor to enlighten him. The visit of Father Paul
and the Prince Kalonay in the yacht, and their speeches inciting the
people to rebellion, would have warned the government that an
expedition might soon follow. The return of our yacht to this place
has no doubt been made known in Messina through the public press, and
General Renauld followed the yacht here to learn what he could of our
plans--of our intended movements. He came here to spy on us, and as a
spy I ordered Mr. Gordon to arrest him this morning on any charge he
pleased, and to place him out of our way until after to-night, when we
should have sailed. I chose Mr. Gordon to undertake this service
because he happened to speak the language of the country, and it was
necessary to deal directly with the local authorities without the
intervention of an outsider. What has happened is only too evident.
The spy, who when he came here only suspected, now, as Mr. Gordon says,
knows the truth, and he could have learned it only from one person, to
whom he has no doubt paid a pretty price for the information." The
King took a step forward and pointed with his hand at the American. "I
gave that man into your keeping, sir," he cried, "but I had you
watched. Instead of placing him in jail