words don't hurt dead men; and you see, sir, poor Herbert is
dead."

"It is true. He wouldn't feel aggrieved."

"But we, sir, you and I, awaking--"

"Aren't the others to awake, James?"

"Indeed, sir, I should pray that they had never awaked. For you and I,
waking first, would find the lodge a mass of flames. We should have to
run for our lives."

"What! Should we make no effort to rouse the others?"

"Indeed, sir, we should do all that men could do; we should even risk
death by suffocation."

"But we should fail, in spite of our heroism, should we?"

"Alas, sir, in spite of all our efforts we should fail. The flames would
envelop the lodge in one blaze; before help could come, the lodge would
be in ruins, and my unhappy master and poor Herbert would be consumed to
ashes."

"Hum!"

"They would, at least, sir, be entirely unrecognizable."

"You think so?"

"Beyond doubt, if the oil and the firewood and the candle were placed to
the best advantage."

"Ah, yes. And there would be an end of Rudolf Rassendyll?"

"Sir, I should myself carry the tidings to his family."

"Whereas the King of Ruritania--"

"Would enjoy a long and prosperous reign, God willing, sir."

"And the Queen of Ruritania, James?"

"Do not misunderstand me, sir. They could be secretly married. I should
say re-married."

"Yes, certainly, re-married."

"By a trustworthy priest."

"You mean by an untrustworthy priest?"

"It's the same thing, sir, from a different point of view." For the
first time James smiled a thoughtful smile.

Sapt in his turn laid down his pipe now, and was tugging at his
moustache. There was a smile on his lips too, and his eyes looked hard
into James's. The little man met his glance composedly.

"It's an ingenious fancy, this of yours, James," the constable remarked.
"What, though, if your master's killed too? That's quite possible. Count
Rupert's a man to be reckoned with."

"If my master is killed, sir, he must be buried," answered James.

"In Strelsau?" came in quick question from Sapt.

"He won't mind where, sir."

"True, he won't mind, and we needn't mind for him."

"Why, no, sir. But to carry a body secretly from here to Strelsau--"

"Yes, that is, as we agreed at the first, difficult. Well, it's a pretty
story, but--your master wouldn't approve of it. Supposing he were not
killed, I mean."

"It's a waste of time, sir, disapproving of what's done: he might think
the story better than the