acre looked at him reproachfully; but only shook his head, without a
smile. Geoffrey walked to the door, and turned suddenly, almost with a
shout.

"Here's Featherstone!" he cried. "He was in the King's escort; he has
news."

The Royalists crowded around Featherstone as he entered, but their eager
eyes found no reassurance in his face, which was pale, and, still more
unlike Featherstone, full of anger and gloom.

He did not reply to the hail of questions which met him, but looked
around for Dacre, and went to him.

"The King?" asked Dacre, sternly.

"The King has disappeared," answered Featherstone, "and no one knows
where he has gone."

There was a dead silence in the tent; not a man moved. Dacre looked at
his watch. It was ten minutes to twelve.

"He may be on the way here by another route," suggested the old Duke.

"What have you done to obtain information?" asked Dacre.

"At eleven o'clock the escort waiting at the station in London
telephoned us that the train had gone and the King had not arrived. We
waited ten minutes and then I telephoned direct to the house of the
King's banker and received in answer these words: 'The King left here at
two o'clock this morning to go on board his steam-yacht. He has sailed
for America.' In reply to my questions, no reason was given for his
going, as no one there knew, and Bugbee had not returned since the
King's departure."

Featherstone folded his arms and looked at Dacre, on whom again all eyes
turned. He held in one hand the royal banner, fast to the halyards, and
in the other hand his watch.

At this moment the artillery trumpet heard before sounded much nearer,
and it was answered, apparently, by other trumpets at different points
of the camp.

"Gentlemen," said Dacre, drawing up his tall figure with superb pride,
and looking calmly round the tent, "in two minutes it will be noon--the
hour of our movement. Yonder rides the brave man who will proclaim the
Monarchy, and it is too late now to warn him or his fellow-officers and
patriots. We may draw back; but they will go on. The world will be the
witness. If the King has been false to us--and we do not know that he
has--we shall be true to our cause and to ourselves."

There was a pause. Dacre's eyes were on the dial in his hand.

"Gentlemen!" he cried, as he placed the watch in his pocket, "it is
twelve o'clock! Shall I raise the King's flag?"

"Ay! Up with it!" rang out the brave shout.

At that instant