r a woman in private)--that I determined to put off my
announcement to him that I could no longer be in his service. So first I
drew out from my waistcoat the packet I had taken from under my shirt,
and put there, while Mr. Chiffinch was away.

"Sir;" I said, "I have brought your packet back again. I have had no
word from you as to its delivery; and as I must go abroad to-day I dare
keep it no longer. Your Majesty, I fear, must find another messenger."

His face darkened for an instant as if he could not remember something;
but it lightened again as he took the packet from me, and turned it
over.

"Why; I remember," he said. "It was sealed within and without, was it
not?"

That seemed to me a strangely irrelevant thing to say but I told him,
Yes it was.

"And you were to deliver to--eh? what was his name?"

"Your Majesty told me that the name would be sent to me."

"Why, so I did," said the King, smiling. "Well; let us open the packet
and see what is within."

He took up a little ivory knife that was on the table by his elbow, and
slipped it beneath the folds of the paper, so as to burst open the
seals; and when he had done that, there was another wrapper, also
sealed. This seal he also scrutinized, still smiling a little; and then
he burst that; and when he had taken off that covering, a folded piece
of paper fell out. This he unfolded, and spread flat with his fingers;
and there was nothing written on that side; then he turned it over, and
shewed me how there was nothing written on that either. So the message I
had borne about me, was nothing in the world but a piece of blank paper.

I drew a long breath when I saw that; for my anger surged up at the way
I had been fooled; but before I could think of anything to say, the King
spoke.

"Mr. Mallock," he said, "you have done very well. You understand it now,
eh?"

"No, Sir; I do not," I said.

"Why; it is a very old trick;" went on His Majesty, "to see if a
messenger will be faithful. Your folks did it first, I think, in Queen
Bess her reign; so as to risk nothing. And you have kept it all this
while!"

"I obeyed Your Majesty's commands," I said.

"Well; and you have delivered it to the right person." (He tossed the
papers altogether upon the table and turned to me again.) "Now, sir; I
had no real doubt of you; but others were not so sure; and I consented
to this to please them; so now that all has been done, I can use you
more freely, if you will: I h