You will receive a tremendous ovation. The news of your
coming has electrified the city."

Brand's gratification at the prospect was certainly not apparent.
However, he closed his eyes, and relapsed into thought. Two hours! He
reckoned it all out. His knowledge of the geography of the country was
slight, but it seemed to him impossible that Prince Ughtred and Reist
could yet have reached the capital. So far all that he had done had
been good. The difficulty which confronted him now was to select the
proper moment for his avowal, and, having made it, to escape. He
foresaw difficulties. Domiloff was not a man to be made a fool of
lightly. His one comforting reflection was that when the explosion did
come he would be safer in Theos than in a frontier town which was
obviously under Russian influence.

Slowly the train wound its way across a rocky and difficult country,
a country of mountains, woods, and rivers, valleys rich with
corn-tracts, tiny villages whose gleaming white homesteads made
picturesque many a hillside. Brand sat quite still with half-closed
eyes. Presently the door of the saloon opened, and closed again
softly. Domiloff looked in and withdrew. Then there came the sound
of voices from the next compartment. Listening intently, Bland caught
a word or two here and there.

"Absolutely impossible.... I saw him in Paris after the Algerian
campaign ... thinner, that is all.... Reist and the English journalist
were simply left ... _plante la_. Hernoff planned everything."

"Mistakes.... He does not make mistakes. If I believed it I would
shoot him like a dog. You have your revolver, too. Good! Oh, yes, he
will sign! It will be a record reign. It may last a month. They will
see that he is under the thumb of Russia. No, he is fast asleep. After
Hernoff's medicine one is sleepy for days."

The voices died away. They passed through a little wayside station gay
with flags, and the train began to descend a series of gradients.
Below was a great fruitful plain, bounded southwards by a range of
towering mountains. Far away westwards was a huge ascent to a
wide-spreading table-land. Brand sat with his eyes fixed steadily upon
it, and a queer little smile upon his lips. He was sufficiently aware
of his surroundings to know that there was the fortress capital of
Theos.

He heard footsteps, and closed his eyes again. Domiloff entered the
saloon, and shook him by the arm. He awoke with a drowsy murmur.

"Wake up, your