"Well, for my part, I'm sure he's an Irishman," said Katie. "Mrs.
Russell says that he learned some English from an Irish priest; but
that wouldn't account for his queer songs."

"Songs?"

"Oh, he's utterly ridiculous! Who or what he really is I cannot
imagine. And, do you know, the best fun of all is--he's in love with
me."

"In love with you?" Harry cried, recoiling as he said it.

"Yes, of course--why not?" said Katie.

"The infernal cad!" cried Harry.

"Oh, what naughty language!" said Katie. "Oh!"

"D--n him!" cried Harry, furiously. "What does the fellow mean?"

"I declare I won't listen to such shocking language," said Katie.
"Now stop!"

"Well--but what does the scoundrel mean?" repeated Harry, in jealous
wrath.

"Well, he means to try--to marry me."

"Marry!--you!"

"Oh yes; and he says he'll make me Queen of Spain--and he says he has
a claim to the crown of France also, which he promises to share with
me."

"Good heavens!" said Harry, in utter consternation; for Harry had not
yet done more than vaguely suspect that "His Majesty" might be any
other than what he claimed to be, and this design of his upon Katie
seemed now a peril of no common magnitude.

"Why, Katie," he added, after a pause, "a royal personage can't marry
a private person like you. It's illegal, you know."

"Oh, but the fun of it is he's only a common Irishman, and he drinks
whiskey, and has an awful brogue. Oh, it's such fun to listen to him!
But the greatest fun of all is, auntie believes in him. She thinks he
is really Don Carlos; and, best of all, she thinks he is making love
to her, and proposing to her."

"To her! Why, she has a husband already."

"Oh, but she thinks he has been killed."

"Killed? Good heavens! Is that really so? Poor old Russell! Oh,
heavens! The villains! They'd do it, too."

And Harry thought of the bonds and the search after them. It seemed
to him not at all unlikely that they had killed Russell so as to get
at these, or perhaps to punish him for not giving them up. Horror now
quite overwhelmed him. He felt even shocked at Katie's levity.

"But Mrs. Russell," he said; "how does she bear this horrible,
calamity?"

"Bear it?" said Katie; "why, she wants to be Queen of Spain, and
France too!"

"What, when her husband lies murdered close by? Oh, heavens!--oh,
good heavens!"

"Well, do you know, it does seem very odd indeed."

"But you, Katie--how can you talk of such horrors in such a w