'Give up Gloria? Never--while grass grows and water runs!'

'Well, then, we need not say any more about that. Tell me, though, where
was all this? At Lady Seagraves'?'

'No; it was at Sir Rupert's own house.'

'Oh, yes, I forgot; you were dining there?'

'Yes; I was dining there.'

'This was after dinner?'

'Yes; there were very few men there, and he talked all this to me in a
confidential sort of way. Tell me, Excellency, what do you think of his
daughter?'

The Dictator almost started. If the question had come out of his own
inner consciousness it could not have illustrated more clearly the
problem which was perplexing his heart.

'Why, Hamilton, I have not seen very much of her, and I don't profess to
be much of a judge of young ladies. Why on earth do you want my opinion?
What is your own opinion of her?'

'I think she is very beautiful.'

'So do I.'

'And awfully clever.'

'Right again--so do I.'

'And singularly attractive, don't you think?'

'Yes; very attractive indeed. But you know, my boy, that the attractions
of young women have now little more than a purely historical interest
for me. Still, I am quite prepared to go as far with you as to admit
that Miss Langley is a most attractive young woman.'

'She thinks ever so much of _you_,' Hamilton said dogmatically.

'She has great sympathy with our cause,' the Dictator said.

'She would do anything _you_ asked her to do.'

'My boy, I don't want to ask her to do anything.'

'Excellency, I want you to advise her to do something--for _me_.'

'For you, Hamilton? Is that the way?' The Dictator asked the question
with a tone of infinite sympathy, and he stood up as if he were about to
give some important order. Hamilton, on the other hand, collapsed into a
chair.

'That is the way, Excellency.'

'You are in love with this child?'

'I am madly in love with this child, if you call her so.'

Ericson made some strides up and down the room with his hands behind
him. Then he suddenly stopped.

'Is this quite a serious business?' he asked, in a low, soft voice.

'Terribly serious for me, Excellency, if things don't turn out right. I
have been hit very hard.'

The Dictator smiled.

'We get over such things,' he said.

'But I don't want to get over this; I don't mean to get over it.'

'Well,' Ericson said good-humouredly, and with quite recovered
composure, 'it may not be necessary for you to get over it. Does the
young lady want you