o had no heart in the matter, who probably never heard of me
before in all his life, and had no partisan hatred to drive him on. So
he dallied, and bungled; and then you two intervened, and his game was
hopeless. He'll not try it again, you may be sure.'

'No, he probably has had enough of it,' Captain Sarrasin said; 'and of
course he has got his pay beforehand. But someone else will.'

'Very likely,' the Dictator said carelessly. 'They will manage it on a
better plan next time.'

'We must have better plans, too,' Sarrasin said warmly.

'How can we? The only wise thing in such affairs is to take the ordinary
and reasonable precautions that any sane man takes who has serious
business to do in life, and then not to trouble oneself any further.
Anyhow, I owe to you both, dear friends,' and the Dictator took a hand
of each in one of his, 'a deep debt of gratitude. And now I propose that
we consider the whole incident as _vide_, and that we go forthwith to
Paulo's and have a pleasant supper there and summon up the boy Hamilton,
even should he be in bed, and ask him how he came to send out telegrams
for belated meetings in St. James's Park, and have a good time to repay
us for our loss of an hour and the absurdity of our adventure. Come,
Mrs. Sarrasin, you will not refuse my invitation?'

'Excellency, certainly not.'

'You can stay in the hotel, dear,' Sarrasin suggested.

'Yes, I should like that best,' she said.

'They won't expect you at home?' the Dictator asked.

'They never expect us,' Mrs. Sarrasin answered with her usual sweet
gravity. 'When we are coming we let them know--if we do not we are never
to be expected. My husband could not manage his affairs at all if we
were to have to look out for being expected.'

'You know how to live your life, Mrs. Sarrasin,' the Dictator said, much
interested.

'I have tried to learn the art,' she said modestly.

'It is a useful branch of knowledge,' Ericson answered, 'and one of the
least cultivated by men or women, I think.'

They were moving along at this time. They crossed the bridge and passed
by Marlborough House, and so got into Pall Mall.

'How shall we go?' the Dictator asked, glancing at the passing cabs,
some flying, some crawling.

'Four-wheeler?' Sarrasin suggested tentatively.

'No; I don't seem to be in humour for anything slow and creeping,' the
Dictator said gaily. 'I feel full of animal spirits, somehow. Perhaps it
is the getting out of danger, a