"One of them, it is true, did wish to fight," the Countess
continued, with a smile; "a Frenchman named Renauld, whom they
have put in charge of the army. He scoffed at the whole
expedition, but they told him that a foreigner could not
understand as they did the danger of the popularity of the
Prince Kolonay, who, by a speech or two among the shepherds
and fishermen, could raise an army."

The King snapped his fingers impatiently.

"An army of brigands and smugglers!" he exclaimed. "That for
his popularity!" But he instantly raised his hands as though
in protest at his own warmth of speech and in apology for his
outbreak.

"His zeal will ruin us in time. He is deucedly in the way,"
he continued, in his usual tone of easy cynicism. "We should
have let him into our plans from the first, and then if he
chose to take no part in them we would at least have had a
free hand. As it is now, we have three different people to
deceive: this Cabinet of shopkeepers, which seems easy enough;
Father Paul and his fanatics of the Church party; and this
apostle of the divine right of kings, Kalonay. And he and the
good father are not fools----"

At these words Madame Zara glanced again toward the garden,
and this time with such evident uneasiness in her face that
Barrat eyed her with quick suspicion.

"What is it?" he asked, sharply. "There is something you have