on the horse's neck.

He looked up into the sergeant's face with steady eyes, saying:

"You make a mistake, my friend. I am not the king."

"You are not--?" stuttered the bewildered fellow.

"By no means. And, sergeant--?"

"Your Majesty?"

"Sir, you mean."

"Yes, sir."

"A zealous officer, sergeant, can make no greater mistake than to
take for the king a gentleman who is not the king. It might injure his
prospects, since the king, not being here, mightn't wish to have it
supposed that he was here. Do you follow me, sergeant?"

The man said nothing, but stared hard. After a moment Rudolf continued:

"In such a case," said he, "a discreet officer would not trouble the
gentleman any more, and would be very careful not to mention that he
had made such a silly mistake. Indeed, if questioned, he would answer
without hesitation that he hadn't seen anybody even like the king, much
less the king himself."

A doubtful, puzzled little smile spread under the sergeant's moustache.

"You see, the king is not even in Strelsau," said Rudolf.

"Not in Strelsau, sir?"

"Why, no, he's at Zenda."

"Ah! At Zenda, sir?"

"Certainly. It is therefore impossible--physically impossible--that he
should be here."

The fellow was convinced that he understood now.

"It's certainly impossible, sir," said he, smiling more broadly.

"Absolutely. And therefore impossible also that you should have seen
him." With this Rudolf took a gold piece from his pocket and handed it
to the sergeant. The fellow took it with something like a wink.

"As for you, you've searched here and found nobody," concluded Mr.
Rassendyll. "So hadn't you better at once search somewhere else?

"Without doubt, sir," said the sergeant, and with the most deferential
salute, and another confidential smile, he turned and rode back by the
way he had come. No doubt he wished that he could meet a gentleman who
was--not the king--every morning of his life. It hardly need be said
that all idea of connecting the gentleman with the crime committed in
the Konigstrasse had vanished from his mind. Thus Rudolf won freedom
from the man's interference, but at a dangerous cost--how dangerous he
did not know. It was indeed most impossible that the king could be in
Strelsau.

He lost no time now in turning his steps towards his refuge. It was past
five o'clock, day came quickly, and the streets began to be peopled
by men and women on their way to open stalls or to buy in t