piration! Hockins afterwards styled it a
"wrinkle." Ebony called it a "dodge." But, whatever might be said on
that head, it had the effect of very materially altering the conditions
of some of the personages of this tale, as the following chapters will
show.

CHAPTER TWENTY TWO.

THE COURT PHYSICIAN PRESCRIBES FOR THE QUEEN--A BLOW-UP, AND MYSTERIOUS
PREPARATIONS FOR TREMENDOUS SURPRISES.

About this time the anger of Queen Ranavalona against the Christians was
so great that she made herself quite ill, and more than once had to send
for her Court Physician, Mark Breezy, to prescribe for her.

Our youthful medico understood her complaint, which was a simple one.
He prescribed much exercise, change of air, and amusement, so as to
distract her mind from the cares of State, and the evil passions to
which she was giving way. He hoped thus to serve the Christians
indirectly, for he saw clearly that the mere mention of their existence
made her ill. Some slight administrations of physic, also, coupled with
judicious alterations of diet, put her Majesty in a state of such
excellent health and spirits that she began to entertain quite a warm
regard for her Court Physician, and congratulated herself not a little
on the good fortune which had sent him to the capital.

Thus Mark was enabled to disperse, for a time, the dark cloud which had
been lowering over the land--not, however, in time to prevent many
Christians from being slain, and some even of the officers and ladies of
the palace from being degraded, their honours taken from them, and
themselves and children sold as slaves.

Among the ladies, Rafaravavy had a narrow escape. For a time her life
seemed to hang by a hair, for she was rebellious as well as fearless,
and _would_ sing her favourite hymns in spite of orders to the contrary!
Love prevailed, however, as in the case of Prince Rakota, and she was
tolerated as a sort of spoilt child.

Being a favourite, Mark of course became a man of power in the capital.
This fact would have raised him a host of enemies had it not been for
the kindness of his disposition and the urbanity of his manners. When a
strapping powerful young fellow treats every one with respectful
deference, keeps in the background, and neither by word nor look asserts
himself, but, on the contrary, seems to entertain kindly thoughts about
every one, it argues such an absence of selfishness that most people are
irresistibly attracted to him