he did not look up until he had reached the level of the
ground, and jumped lightly from the first row of seats to the stage,
covered with moss, which lay like a heavy rug over the marble pavement.
When he did look up he saw a tableau that made his heart, which was
beating quickly from the exertion of the descent, stand still with
consternation. The Hohenwalds had, in his short absence, descended
from the entrance of the Acropolis, and had stopped on their way to the
road below to look into the cool green and white basin of the theatre.
At the moment Carlton looked up the Duke was standing in front of Mrs.
Downs and Miss Morris, and all of the men had their hats off. Then, in
pantomime, and silhouetted against the blue sky behind them, Carlton
saw the Princesses advance beside their brother, and Mrs. Downs and her
niece courtesied three times, and then the whole party faced about in a
line and looked down at him. The meaning of the tableau was only too
plain.

"Good heavens!" gasped Carlton. "Everybody's getting introduced to
everybody else, and I've missed the whole thing! If they think I'm
going to stay down here and amuse them, and miss all the fun myself,
they are greatly mistaken." He made a mad rush for the front first row
of seats; but there was a cry of remonstrance from above, and, looking
up, he saw all of the men waving him back.

"Speech!" cried the young English Captain, applauding loudly, as though
welcoming an actor on his first entrance. "Hats off!" he cried. "Down
in front! Speech!"

"Confound that ass!" said Carlton, dropping back to the marble pavement
again, and gazing impotently up at the row of figures outlined against
the sky. "I must look like a bear in the bear-pit at the Zoo," he
growled. "They'll be throwing buns to me next." He could see the two
elder sisters talking to Mrs. Downs, who was evidently explaining his
purpose in going down to the stage of the theatre, and he could see the
Princess Aline bending forward, with both hands on her parasol, and
smiling. The captain made a trumpet of his hands, and asked why he
didn't begin.

"Hello! how are you?" Carlton called back, waving his hat at him in
some embarrassment. "I wonder if I look as much like a fool as I
feel?" he muttered.

"What did you say? We can't hear you," answered the captain.

"Louder! louder!" called the equerries. Carlton swore at them under
his breath, and turned and gazed round the hole in which he