with--Charlotte was
quite well, was in possession of all her senses, was thoroughly enjoying
herself, and was not outside the land of her inheritance. Most
emphatically she had not run away.

And there for the moment we will leave the matter, and attend to things
more important.

II

The King had caught sight in the newspaper of something which annoyed
him very much; annoyed him all the more because it seemed to betoken
that the moment his abdication was withdrawn the old ministerial
encroachments on the royal prerogative had begun again.

"We are officially informed," so ran the paragraph, "that the Minister
of the Interior has advised his Majesty to grant a reprieve to the three
strike leaders now lying under sentence of death for their part in the
recent riots and police murders. It is understood that the sentences
will be commuted to penal servitude for life."

And this was the first the King had heard of it!

He sent at once for the Home Minister; and within an hour that great
official stood before him.

"Mr. Secretary," said the King sharply, as he laid the offending
paragraph before him, "since when, may I ask, has the Crown's
prerogative of mercy become the perquisite of the Home Office?"

"I do not think, sir," submitted the Secretary with all outward
humility, "that any such change has come about. In this case the
circumstances were special and very urgent."

"Why, then, was I not consulted?"

"There was hardly time, your Majesty."

"I was here."

"I apprehended that the recent event--so very upsetting to your
Majesty----"

"Come, come," interjected the King, "if I was able to read my speech
immediately after it--as I did--I was quite able to attend to other
business as well; and you ought to have known it."

The King did not thus usually speak to one of his ministers; but, having
just had to face so heavy a defeat of his plans for honorable
retirement, he was the more bent on asserting himself.

"Your Majesty will pardon me, it had to be issued to the press without a
moment's delay. We had received information which made the matter of
great urgency."

"I will hear your explanation," said the King coldly; and the Secretary
went on.

"You are doubtless aware, sir, that about these sentences there has been
a very considerable agitation among the workers; and the utter failure
of the strike has not improved matters."

"I am aware of that," said the King.

"It had always been my inten