d hedges and
ditches across the Park. He must hold this man until they came.

Struggling in the grasp of the concierge, he yet listened for them. From
the first he knew it was a losing battle. He had lost before. But he
fought fiercely, with the strength of a dozen. His frenzy was equaled by
that of the other man, and his weight was less by a half. He went down
finally and lay still, a battered, twisted figure.

The cavalry, in the mean time, had lost the way, was riding its
foam-flecked horses along another street, and losing, time when every
second counted.

But Black Humbert, breathing hard, had heard sounds in the street, and
put up the chain. He stood at bay, a huge, shaken figure at the foot of
the stone staircase. He was for flight now. But surely--outside at the
door some one gave the secret knock of the tribunal, and followed it
by the pass-word. He breathed again. Friends, of course, come for the
ammunition. But, to be certain, he went to the window of his bureau, and
looked out through the bars. Students!

"Coming!" he called. And kicked at Nikky's quiet figure as he passed it.
Then he unbolted the door, dropped the chain, and opened the door.

Standing before him, backed by a great crowd of fantastic figures, was
Haeckel.

They did not kill him at once. At the points of a dozen bayonets,
intended for vastly different work, they forced him up the staircase,
flight after flight. At first he cried pitifully that he knew nothing of
the royal child, then he tried to barter what he knew for his life. They
jeered at him, pricked him shamefully from behind with daggers.

At the top of the last flight he turnery and faced them. "Gentlemen,
friends!" he implored. "I have done him no harm. It was never in my mind
to do him an injury. I--"

"He is in the room where you kept me?" asked Haeckel, in a low voice.

"He is there, and safe."

Then Haeckel killed him. He struck him with a dagger, and his great body
fell on the stairs. He was still moving and groaning, as they swarmed
over him.

Haeckel faced the crowd. "There are others," he said. "I know them all.
When we have finished here, we will go on."

They were fearful of frightening the little King, and only two went
back, with the key that Haeckel had taken from the body of Black
Humbert. They unlocked the door of the back room, to find His Majesty
sitting on a chair, with a rather moist handkerchief in his hand. He was
not at all frightened, however, a