ses to be had in Minnigaff drew the
coach gingerly across the bridge and out of immediate danger of pursuit.

* * * * *

The Duke thought it safest to make as little of the occurrence as
possible. He had many debts, and the present loss of his treasures
seemed a good chance to get the Government to pay off his creditors. He
had, he was willing to swear, been bringing over from Ireland the moneys
with which to conclude the arrangement. And now he had lost not only the
treasure but his jewels as well, in the discharge of his duty to the
King and the Houses of Parliament. What more fitting, therefore, than
that the loss should be made good to him, together with some
compensation for the wounds he had sustained in the defence of his
creditors' property?

During the rest at Carlisle it was agreed that Lord Wargrove, in
consultation with Mr. Robert Adam, the Duke's legal adviser and boon
companion, should draw up a schedule of his losses--such as might be
expected to pass the House of Commons without any of the unpleasant
rakings up of the past which usually distinguished these periodical
cleanings of the slate.

Only a couple of years had elapsed since the Commons had been engaged
for weeks in the examination of the Duke of York's affair with Mrs.
Clarke, and the Duke of Lyonesse felt that he must not allow his
application to be handicapped by the account of an attempt at abduction,
such as that of which the daughter of Adam Ferris had been the object.

It became highly necessary, therefore, that the mouths of the girl's
relatives should be closed, and it seemed to the Prince and his advisers
that the delicate negotiations could better be conducted through Julian
Wemyss, who at least could not fail to know the character of his former
attache.

"Besides, I know something about _him_," said the Duke, "which will make
him think twice before denouncing me."

Lord Wargrove put an eager question. He would have rejoiced to be able
to repeat in society the tale of some disgraceful and unpublished
scandal attached to the name of the ex-ambassador.

"No, no," said the Duke, promptly, "nothing of that sort. There is
nothing against him personally. But he will hold his peace for the sake
of a certain great lady. Oh, Wemyss is a man. He quitted his post at
Vienna rather than bring a lady's name into a quarrel, in course of
which he was challenged. Now ambassadors do not fight duels, so he
resigned