"How old are you?"

"Twenty-three, sire."

"In the Grenadiers, I believe."

Nikky bowed.

"Like horses?" said the King suddenly.

"Very much, sire."

"And boys?"

"I - some boys, sire."

"Humph! Quite right, too. Little devils, most of them." He
drew himself tap in his chair. "Lieutenant Larisch," he said,
"His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has taken a liking to you.
I believe it is to you that our fright to-day is due."

Nikky's heart thumped. He went rather pale.

"It is my intention, Lieutenant Larisch, to place the Crown
Prince in your personal charge. For reasons I need not go into,
it is imperative that he take no more excursions alone. These
are strange times, when sedition struts in Court garments, and
kings may trust neither their armies nor their subjects. I
want," he said, his tone losing its bitterness, "a real friend