the
military genius of Phil and Dick would now in all probability have been,
with herself, captives in the hands of the savages--were going to show
themselves so selfishly ungrateful as to disapprove of her choice? An
impatient stamp of her little foot on the dais, and a defiant upward
toss of her head seemed to threaten an outburst that would probably have
caused the ears of those present to tingle, when somebody--whose
identity was never established--began to applaud vociferously. The
applause was almost instantly taken up by another, and another, and
others, until within a moment or two the vast chamber was ringing and
vibrant with the expressions of approval and rejoicing. The verdict,
though delayed, perhaps, a second or two too long for Her Majesty's
entire liking, was decisive, unmistakable, and not to be gainsaid; and
if there were any present who recognised that it meant the final
collapse of certain cherished ambitions of their own, they were wise
enough to say nothing about it.

But although the Queen's choice of a husband was thus ratified by the
only section of her subjects who might possibly have raised objections
to it, a great deal of exceedingly delicate negotiation and arrangement
was found to be necessary, and a number of quite unexpected difficulties
and hitches arose, before the path to the hymeneal altar was made
perfectly smooth for the royal lovers; while, on the other hand, as the
negotiations and arrangements progressed, it grew increasingly clear
that a man possessed of Grosvenor's outside knowledge and experience was
infinitely preferable, from the point of view of the national advantage,
as a ruler, to even the most powerful and influential of the Izreelite
nobles. By the time, therefore, that everything was settled, approval
had become intensified into delight, and there was every prospect that
Phil's reign would be a highly popular one. Then, in due time, came the
marriage, which may be dismissed with the mere mention of the fact,
since this makes no pretence to being a love story.

But although even a royal wedding may possess little or no interest for
those for whose entertainment this story is written, it had a most
important effect upon the fortunes of those whose adventures are here
set forth. For, by the Izreelite law, it not only made Philip Grosvenor
the Consort of the Queen, but it also put into his hands the actual
government of the nation; it made him, in fact, the King,