beginning," said the Duke complacently; "I've made it
operative with all of them, irrespective of parties."

Belturbet made no coherent reply; he was engaged in feeling his pulse.
The Duke fixed his attention with some interest on a black swan that
was swimming with haughty, stiff-necked aloofness amid the crowd of
lesser water-fowl that dotted the ornamental water. For all its pride
of bearing, something was evidently ruffling and enraging it; in its
way it seemed as angry and amazed as the sparrow had been.

At the same moment a human figure came along the pathway. Belturbet
looked up apprehensively.

"Kedzon," he whispered briefly.

"An Angel-Kedzon, if I am not mistaken," said the Duke. "Look, he is
talking affably to a human being. That settles it."

A shabbily dressed lounger had accosted the man who had been Viceroy in
the splendid East, and who still reflected in his mien some of the cold
dignity of the Himalayan snow-peaks.

"Could you tell me, sir, if them white birds is storks or halbatrosses?
I had an argyment--"

The cold dignity thawed at once into genial friendliness.

"Those are pelicans, my dear sir. Are you interested in birds? If you
would join me in a bun and a glass of milk at the stall yonder, I could
tell you some interesting things about Indian birds. Right oh! Now
the hill-mynah, for instance--"

The two men disappeared in the direction of the bun stall, chatting
volubly as they went, and shadowed from the other side of the railed
enclosure by a black swan, whose temper seemed to have reached the
limit of inarticulate rage.

Belturbet gazed in an open-mouthed wonder after the retreating couple,
then transferred his attention to the infuriated swan, and finally
turned with a look of scared comprehension at his young friend lolling
unconcernedly in his chair. There was no longer any room to doubt what
was happening. The "silly talk" had been translated into terrifying
action.

"I think a prairie oyster on the top of a stiffish brandy-and-soda
might save my reason," said Belturbet weakly, as he limped towards his
club.

It was late in the day before he could steady his nerves sufficiently
to glance at the evening papers. The Parliamentary report proved
significant reading, and confirmed the fears that he had been trying to
shake off. Mr. Ap Dave, the Chancellor, whose lively controversial
style endeared him to his supporters and embittered him, politically
speaking, to his