re's no ind to the honors an' dignities
an' lucrative offices that ye'd be afther gettin' howld av. Ye'd be a
kind av father-in-law to the Quane. Ye'd be made Ministher av War or
anythin' else ye axed for. Ye'd be made a Juke av Gibraltar an'
Prince av the Pyrenees. Ye'd belong to the Privy Council. Ye'd be the
chief adviser av our r'y'l Majesty--that's me, ye know; an' av coorse
it isn't every day that ye have such a chance as that."

[Illustration: "Russell Fell Upon His Knees."]

[Illustration: "These Two Had That Banquet All To Themselves."]

"His Majesty" paused for a reply.

Russell stared fixedly before him into vacancy, but uttered not a
word. Either the high honor that had been proposed, or the brilliant
future that had been laid open, or else the whiskey toddy, or all
three combined, had overcome him utterly; and so he sat there staring
and silent.

"Sure, I know what yer thinkin' about," said "His Majesty." "There's
only one objection, an' that's religion. But that's nothin'," he
continued, with airy and pagan indifference; "we can arrange all that
aisy enough. Love's stronger than religion any day. Ye know the owld
song."

And "His Majesty" trolled out one of his peculiar melodies:

"There was a Ballyshannon spinster
That fell in love wid a Prodes'an' min'ster;
But the praste refused to publish the banns,
So they both ran away to the Mussulmans."

After this "His Majesty" went on in a rapturous way to expatiate upon
the subject of Katie, and in this way the remainder of the evening
was taken up. Russell said but little: what he said was chiefly an
incoherent jumble which expressed with tears of gratitude a full
acceptance of "His Majesty's" offer. At the same time he was able to
point out that in England it was the fashion to consult the lady
herself, and to insist that "His Majesty" should see Katie herself,
so as to get her consent.

And this "His Majesty" swore that he would do.

CHAPTER XVII.

HOW HARRY FINDS HIMSELF VERY MUCH OVERESTIMATED, AND AFTERWARD LIGHTS
UPON A GLOOMY MYSTERY.

On the day after the departure of Russell, Harry was invited to an
interview with the chief. A guard of six Carlists escorted him to the
hall. Here there was an imposing scene. All along the walls were
lines of armed men in strange wild costumes; overhead rose the
vaulted roof, crusted over with the mould of ages; while at one end
there hung a canopy formed of the gorgeous b