ining any undertaking in which he was concerned. You can't blame
them. They've backed him so many times already, and they've been
bitten, and they're shy, naturally. But I swore he was repentant, that
he saw the error of his ways, that he wanted to sit once more before he
died on the throne of his ancestors, and that he felt it was due to his
son that he should make an effort to get him back his birthright. It
was the son won them. `Exhibit A' I call him. None of them would hear
of it until I spoke of the Prince. So when I saw that, I told them he
was a fine little chap, healthy and manly and brave, and devoted to his
priest, and all that rot, and they began to listen. At first they
wanted his Majesty to abdicate, and give the boy a clear road to the
crown, but of course I hushed that up. I told them we were acting
advisedly, that we had reason to know that the common people of Messina
were sick of the Republic, and wanted their King; that Louis loved the
common people like a father; that he would re-establish the Church in
all her power, and that Father Paul was working day and night for us,
and that the Vatican was behind us. Then I dealt out decorations and a
few titles, which Louis has made smell so confoundedly rank to Heaven
that nobody would take them. It was like a game. I played one noble
gentleman against another, and gave this one a portrait of the King one
day, and the other a miniature of `Exhibit A' the next and they grew
jealous, and met together, and talked it over, and finally unlocked
their pockets. They contributed about L9,000 between them. Then the
enthusiasm spread to the women, and they gave me their jewels, and a
lot of youngsters volunteered for the expedition, and six of them came
on with me in the train last night. I won two thousand francs from
that boy Cellini on the way down. They're all staying at the
Continental. I promised them an audience this morning."

"Good," commented the Colonel, "good--L9,000. I suppose you took out
your commission in advance?"

"I took out nothing," returned the other, angrily. "I brought it all
with me, and I have a letter from each of them stating just what he or
she subscribed toward the expedition,--the Duke Dantiz, so much; the
Duke D'Orvay, 50,000 francs; the Countess Mattini, a diamond necklace.
It is all quite regular. I played fair." The Colonel had stopped in
his walk, and had been peering eagerly down the leafy path through the
ga