better than the King's confidential blackguard, and man
Friday, the weakest if the most charming of his court of
adventurers.

At the first hint which the King gave of his desire to place
himself again in power, Kalonay had ceased to be his Jackal
and would have issued forth as a commander-in-chief, had the
King permitted him; but it was not to Louis's purpose that the
Prince should know the real object of the expedition, so he
assigned its preparation to Erhaupt, and despatched Kalonay to
the south of the island. At the same time Madame Zara had
been sent to the north of the island, ostensibly to sound the
sentiment of the old nobility, but in reality to make capital
out of the presence there of Kalonay and Father Paul.

The King rose hurriedly when the slim figure of the Prince and
the broad shoulders and tonsured head of the monk appeared at
the farthest end of the garden-walk.

"They are coming!" he cried, with a guilty chuckle; "so I
shall run away and finish dressing. I leave you to receive
the first shock of Kalonay's enthusiasm alone. I confess he
bores me. Remember, the story Madame Zara told them in the
yacht is the one she told us this morning, that none of the
old royalists at the capital would promise us any assistance.
Be careful now, and play your parts prettily. We are all
terribly in earnest."

Kalonay's enthusiasm had not spent itself entirely before the
King returned. He had still a number of amusing stories to