to the foot of the imperial throne; and he felt that, after all, the
King was right from his own point of view. Corinne was more desirable
than many fatted calves. He cast about for some other way out of the
difficult position.

"We might," he said, "make something out of Megalia."

"Nothing," said the King. "I have been in Megalia and I know it. It is
a one-dog country. There is nothing in it. I have tried it, and I
know."

"We might start a Megalian Development Company," said Gorman.

"A company, perhaps," said the King, "but development of Megalia,
never."

"I was not thinking of actually developing it. That would be the
company's business afterwards. Not that it will be easy to start the
company. It won't. Nobody knows anything about the damned place."

"That is our best chance," said the King. "If any one did know
Megalia, the company would be--what is it you say--a scrub down--no--a
wash-up--ah, I have it--a wash-out."

"You'd grant concessions, I suppose," said Gorman.

"I do not know exactly what a concession means," said the King, "but
if any one will pay for it I will give them permission to make the
people of Megalia into sausages and kidneys. Believe me, my friend,
that is the only development of which the Megalians are capable. They
are pigs--Gadarene pigs."

"We won't suggest that in the prospectus," said Gorman. "Our company,
if we ever get it started, must be humanitarian, altruistic; I'm not
sure that it ought not to be a little religious--mission of
civilization. That's the note to strike."

"And you expect to make money out of--out of _that_? out of what you
teach in your schools for Sunday?"

"It's just exactly out of that that money is made."

"The English," said the King, "are a great people, very wonderful.
You--even you, my friend, who are not English, but Irish--you will
not let me marry because of Corinne. You wish me to eat humble pie
while poor Corinne goes hungry, and yet you will make money out of
a company for reforming the people of Megalia, making them civilized,
Christian--a thing that is not at all possible--ever, in any way. Tell
me, my friend, could you not start a company to develop, reform,
improve Corinne and me. Believe me, it would be easier to do."

CHAPTER III

Gorman realized that the development of Megalia was not an enterprise
likely to attract the British capitalist. Still all things are
possible in business, the business of company promoting. H