ng's
apartments.

"Oh," he muttered beneath his breath, "I had forgotten. Carrbroke told
me he would be there to-night."

There was nothing for it but to retrace his steps, pass right round
two-thirds of one of the lesser courts, and get back to the corridor
again beyond the range of apartments sacred to the King.

Then reaching the end of the gallery, he began to hurry once more to
make up for lost time, when feeling that, much as he desired to act,
such hurried procedure would attract the attention of the first officer
who was on guard, the lad checked his headlong steps, thrust his hands
into his trunk hose, and began to walk carelessly along, catching up and
humming the air which came softly from where the musicians were still
playing.

It was well he did, for as he turned the next corner he came upon a
couple of the King's guards upon the landing at the head of a staircase.

His face was familiar to the men as one of the King's guests, and it
being right away from the royal apartments, they gave way for him to
pass, and making a tremendous effort over himself, he descended very
slowly and carelessly, the hardest part of all being to stop once or
twice as if listening to the music, and then go on humming the air.

He breathed more freely as he passed out into the courtyard and crossed
it, fully expecting to encounter a guard at the archway which gave upon
the next court.

As he expected, there were a couple of armed men here ready to challenge
him; but before they could speak he stopped short to ask whether he
would find men in attendance at the stables, adding carelessly in very
fair English:

"I want to see how our horses are getting on."

It was so likely a mission that the principal of the two guards
volunteered the information at once that some of the grooms would be
sure to be there at that time for a final look round before closing for
the night.

"You know your way, sir?" added the man respectfully.

"Oh yes, thank you," said Denis carelessly; "I know my way." And he
walked on, panting heavily now, in spite of his slow pace. "This is the
hardest work of all," he muttered, "for I want to run--I want to run.
But oh, how I do hate it all! They must be stealing the jewel now, for
I can call it nothing else but a theft. How glad I am that they have
sent me away, and I am not obliged to degrade myself with such a task.
But yet I am helping, and seem as bad as they--but no, not _as_ bad.
Leoni s