h endeavour which sometimes leads even very charming
women into repulsive kinds of foolishness. The thought of a marriage
between Miss Daisy and King Konrad Karl--with Madame Ypsilante in the
near background--affected Gorman with a feeling of physical nausea.

The King possessed a certain capacity for sympathy. He guessed
something of what was in Gorman's mind.

"After all," he said, "she would be a queen. It is something. You have
said so yourself, my friend. You cannot have an omelette without the
sacrifice of an egg. But I see--I see very plainly that you do not
wish me to marry the Donovan oof-girl. You will not back me up. Good.
I back down. I bear no malice. I wish you success. I shall eat cake at
your wedding without envy. To you the American with pigs' eyes--yes, I
am sure she has pigs' eyes. To me Corinne. To which of us happiness?
eh, my friend?"

Gorman felt that it would be perfectly impossible to convince the King
that he had no wish to marry Miss Daisy or her fortune.

"All right," he said. "Leave it at that if you like."

"I have left it," said the King, "at that, precisely at that, though I
do not like it at all."

"And now," said Gorman, "let's get back to your own affairs. You say
that you're in a tightish place just for the moment."

"I am in a hell hole," said the King.

"Why not go back to the Emperor? He must do something for you. After
all, he's your uncle. He can't let you go under altogether. Of course
you'll have to eat humble pie, do the repentant prodigal and all that
sort of thing."

"I should with gladness eat any pie--even pie made of the fatted calf
of the prodigal; but--there is Corinne. The Emperor regards Corinne
very much, my dear Gorman, as you regard me. I do not complain. You
and the Emperor are no doubt right. You hit your nails on the head,
both of you, when you say of Corinne and me--they are blackguards. But
I prefer Corinne and no veal pie to veal pie and no Corinne. Yes, my
friend, I choose Corinne every time."

I have met King Konrad Karl once or twice, and I have, of course,
heard a good deal about him. He is, unquestionably, a scoundrel. But I
agree with Gorman that he is a frank and therefore an attractive
scoundrel. Besides, his fidelity to Corinne is a redeeming feature,
perhaps the only redeeming feature of his character.

Gorman is, if not a blackguard, at all events an adventurer, and
therefore kin to the King. He saw the impossibility of leading Corinne