se it knew that
without you the priests could do nothing. But when Paul, whom the
common people look upon as a living saint and martyr, returned hand in
hand with your man Friday, they were in a panic and felt sure the end
had come. So the President called a hasty meeting of his Cabinet. And
such a Cabinet! I wish you could have seen them, Louis, with me in the
centre playing on them like an advocate before a jury. They were the
most dreadful men I ever met, bourgeois and stupid and ugly to a
degree. Two of them were commission-merchants, and one of them is old
Dr. Gustavanni, who kept the chemist's shop in the Piazza Royale. They
were quite silly with fear, and they begged me to tell them how they
could avert the fall of the Republic and prevent your landing. And I
said that it was entirely a question of money; that if we were paid
sufficiently the expedition would not land and we would leave them in
peace, but that----"

The King shifted his legs uneasily, and coughed behind his thin, pink
fingers.

"That was rather indiscreet, was it not, Marie?" he murmured. "The
idea was to make them think that I, at least, was sincere; was not that
it? To make it appear that though there were traitors in his camp, the
King was in most desperate earnest? If they believe that, you see, it
will allow me to raise another expedition as soon as the money we get
for this one is gone; but if you have let them know that I am the one
who is selling out, you have killed the goose that lays the golden
eggs. They will never believe us when we cry wolf again----"

"You must let me finish," Zara interrupted. "I did not involve you in
the least. I said that there were traitors in the camp of whom I was
the envoy, and that if they would pay us 300,000 francs we would
promise to allow the expedition only to leave the yacht. Their troops
could then make a show of attacking our landing-party and we would
raise the cry of `treachery' and retreat to the boats. By this we
would accomplish two things,--we would satisfy those who, had
contributed funds toward the expedition that we had at least made an
honest effort, and your Majesty would be discouraged by such treachery
from ever attempting another attack. The money was to be paid two
weeks later in Paris, to me or to whoever brings this ring that I wear.
The plan we finally agreed upon is this: The yacht is to anchor off
Basnai next Thursday night. At high tide, which is just abou