ng to risk his very life for the sake
of--of seeing her again!

"If he has been impertinent, possibly you will take no notice of his
communication," suggested Popova.

"Oh, I _must_--I must at least acknowledge the receipt of it. Common
courtesy demands that. I shall write just a few lines and you must take
them to him at once. He seems to be a very forward person unacquainted
with our local customs, and so I shall formally thank him and suggest to
him that any further correspondence would be inadvisable. That's the
really proper thing to do, don't you think?"

"Possibly."

"Then wait here until I have written it, and unless you wish me to go to
my father and tell him something that would put an end to your
illustrious career, deliver this message within a hour--deliver it
yourself. Give it to him and to no one else."

Never was a go-between more nonplussed, but he promised with a readiness
and a sincerity which indicated that he was keenly aware of the fact
that Kalora held him in her power. The minx had read his secret without
an effort!

Mr. Pike was waiting in the avenue of potted palms when the greatest
scholar of southeastern Europe, now reduced to the humble role of
messenger boy, came to him, somewhat flurried and breathless, and
slipped a small envelope into his hand.

Popova rather curtly refused to renew his acquaintance with occidental
fizzes, and waited only until he had announced to Mr. Pike that the
Princess wished to emphasize the advice contained in the letter and to
assure the presumptuous stranger that it was meant for his welfare.

This is what Mr. Pike read:

My very good friend:

I have protected you, not because you deserve protection, but because I
like you very much. You must not come to the palace grounds again. They
are now under double guard and, if I attempted to meet you, no doubt a
whole company of our big soldiers would surround you and surely you
could not overcome so many powerful men. I am thinking only of your
safety. I beg you to leave Morovenia at once. Your danger is greater
than you can imagine. What more can I say, except that I shall always
remember you? Sincerely,

K.

Mr. Pike read it carefully three times and then told himself aloud that
it was not what he would precisely term a love-letter.

"I may have made an impression, but certainly not a ten-strike," he
thought to himself, as he folded up the missive and put it into the most
sacred