ainful to
you, Daisy, as a patriotic citizen; but what I say is the fact. In the
Middle West where I was raised we don't think guns and shooting
constitute the proper way of settling international differences. We've
advanced some from those ideas. We're a civilized people, specially in
the dry States where university education is rife and the influence
of women permeates elections. We've attained a nobler outlook upon
life."

The Queen was on her feet. Her eyes were flashing. Her lips trembled
with indignation.

"Father," she said, "are you going to let yourself be bullied by--by
that thing?" She pointed to the admiral with a gesture of contempt.
"Are you going to sneak on to his ship? Oh, if I were a man I'd hoist
the Stars and Stripes and fight. If they killed us America would
avenge us."

"You take me up wrong, Daisy," said Donovan. "I don't say I wouldn't
fight if I had a gun. I might, and that's a fact. But the way I'm
fixed at present, not having a gun, I intend to experiment with the
methods of peaceful settlement. I'm not above admitting that I share
the lofty notions of the cultivated disciples of peace. I'm a
humanitarian, and opposed on principle to the sacrifice of human life.
I just hate butting in and taking hold. The disordered nature of my
heart makes it dangerous for me to exert myself. But it seems to me
that this is a case in which I just have to. But if I do, I want to
handle things my own way. So you run away now, Daisy. Get that blue
banner of yours fluttering in the breeze, defying death and destiny."
He turned to Konrad Karl. "I'd be obliged to you," he said, "if you'd
tell that highly coloured ocean warrior that I count on him not to
start shooting till the time mentioned in his ultimatum. That leaves
me an hour and a quarter to work with the nobler weapons of civilized
pacifist conviction. Tell him to go back to his ship and see that his
men don't get monkeying with those six shells. Gorman," he went on,
"you get hold of Smith and send him up here to me."

I think it was then that Gorman first realized the strength of
Donovan's personality. The Queen, though she was in a high passion of
patriotism and defiance, left the room without a word. Konrad Karl
spluttered a little, uttering a series of ill-assorted oaths, but he
walked off the Megalian admiral and put him into a boat. Gorman
himself did what he was told without asking for a word of explanation.

CHAPTER XXIII

Gorman le