chorus. The
sound of it brought relief to us; so far at least there was no disaster.
But why was not the king with them?

"The king is probably tired, and is following more slowly, madam,"
suggested Bernenstein.

This explanation seemed very probable, and the lieutenant and I, as
ready to be hopeful on slight grounds as fearful on small provocation,
joyfully accepted it. Sapt, less easily turned to either mood, said,
"Ay, but let us hear," and raising his voice, called to the huntsmen,
who had now arrived in the avenue. One of them, the king's chief
huntsman Simon, gorgeous in his uniform of green and gold, came
swaggering along, and bowed low to the queen.

"Well, Simon, where is the king?" she asked, trying to smile.

"The king, madam, has sent a message by me to your majesty."

"Pray, deliver it to me, Simon."

"I will, madam. The king has enjoyed fine sport; and, indeed, madam, if
I may say so for myself, a better run.--"

"You may say, friend Simon," interrupted the constable, tapping him
on the shoulder, "anything you like for yourself, but, as a matter of
etiquette, the king's message should come first."

"Oh, ay, Constable," said Simon. "You're always so down on a man, aren't
you? Well, then, madam, the king has enjoyed fine sport. For we started
a boar at eleven, and--"

"Is this the king's message, Simon?" asked the queen, smiling in genuine
amusement, but impatiently.

"Why, no, madam, not precisely his majesty's message."

"Then get to it, man, in Heaven's name," growled Sapt testily. For here
were we four (the queen, too, one of us!) on tenterhooks, while the fool
boasted about the sport that he had shown the king. For every boar in
the forest Simon took as much credit as though he, and not Almighty God,
had made the animal. It is the way with such fellows.

Simon became a little confused under the combined influence of his own
seductive memories and Sapt's brusque exhortations.

"As I was saying, madam," he resumed, "the boar led us a long way, but
at last the hounds pulled him down, and his majesty himself gave the
coup de grace. Well, then it was very late."

"It's no earlier now," grumbled the constable.

"And the king, although indeed, madam, his majesty was so gracious as
to say that no huntsman whom his majesty had ever had, had given his
majesty--"

"God help us!" groaned the constable.

Simon shot an apprehensive apologetic glance at Colonel Sapt. The
constable was frowning fe