that this was a signal for him. Colonel Stewart, bowing to the other
officers, said to him: "Will you please come with me, Mr. Edestone?"

Passing out of the room and up a short flight of stairs they came to a
broad corridor about twenty feet wide which ran around three sides of
a court, opening out upon the gardens to the west. They were conducted
around two sides of the square and taken into a large reception room
in the opposite corner where there were perhaps a dozen officers of
high rank, ministers and statesmen, standing about in groups. They
spoke in voices scarcely above a whisper and when the door on the
left, which evidently led into a still larger room, was opened there
was absolute silence.

Colonel Stewart, who up to this time had been quite affable, now
seemed suddenly to be caught by the solemnity of the place, and stood
like a man at the funeral of his friend.

In one of the groups, Edestone saw Colonel Wyatt, who gave him a
little nod of recognition. In a few minutes the door to the larger
room opened and Lord Rockstone coming out walked straight up to where
he and Colonel Stewart stood.

"His Majesty wishes to waive all form and ceremony, and has ordered me
to present you to him at once," he said. But when he saw the cool and
matter-of-fact way in which Edestone received this extraordinary
announcement his expression said as plainly as words: "These Americans
are certainly a remarkable people." He merely bowed to Colonel
Stewart, however, and continued: "Will you please come with me," and
leading the way to the door, spoke to an attendant who went inside. In
about five minutes the man returned, and announced to Lord Rockstone: