of McGregor. There was no help for this,
but I knew he wasn't much fonder of me than I of him, and I found
myself gently meditating on the friction likely to arise between
the new President and his minister of finance, in case our plans
succeeded. Still the signorina hated him, and by all signs she loved
me. So I lay back in my chair, and recalled my charmer's presence by
whistling the hymn of liberty until it was time to go to lunch, an
observance not to be omitted even by conspirators.

CHAPTER VII.

THE MINE IS LAID.

The morning meeting had been devoted to principles and to the
awakening of enthusiasm; in the evening the conspirators condescended
upon details, and we held a prolonged and anxious conference at the
signorina's. Mrs. Carrington was commanded to have a headache after
dinner, and retired with it to bed; and from ten till one we sat and
conspired. The result of our deliberations was a very pretty plan, of
which the main outlines were as follows:

This was Tuesday. On Friday night the colonel, with twenty determined
ruffians (or resolute patriots) previously bound to him, body and
soul, by a donation of no less than fifty dollars a man, was to
surprise the Golden House, seize the person of the President and
all cash and securities on the premises; no killing, if it could be
avoided, but on the other hand no shilly-shally. McGregor wanted to
put the President out of the way at once, as a precautionary measure,
but I strongly opposed this proposal, and, finding the signorina was
absolutely inflexible on the same side, he yielded. I had a strong
desire to be present at this midnight surprise, but another duty
called for my presence. There was a gala supper at the barracks
that evening, to commemorate some incident or other in the national
history, and I was to be present and to reply to the toast of "The
Commerce of Aureataland." My task was, _at all hazards_, to keep this
party going till the colonel's job was done, when he would appear at
the soldiers' quarters, bribe in hand, and demand their allegiance.
Our knowledge of the character of the troops made us regard the result
as a certainty, if once the President was a prisoner and the dollars
before their eyes. The colonel and the troops were to surround the
officers' messroom, and offer them life and largesse, or death and
destruction. Here again we anticipated their choice with composure.
The army was then to be paraded in the Piazza, the to