while England stands and is hammered on the anvil of Time, as it
were, and remains just the same shape as before."

He broke off and turned to Sep.

"Do you know the story of the little boy who was a King?" he asked,
abruptly. "They put him in prison and he escaped. He was carried
out in a clothes-basket. Funny, is it not? And he escaped from his
enemies and reached another country, where he became a sailor. He
grew to be a man and he married a woman of that country, and she
died, leaving him with a little boy. And then he died himself and
left the little boy, who was taken care of by his English relations,
who never knew that he was a King. But he was; for his father was a
King before him, and his grandfathers--far, far back. Back to the
beginning of the book that Miss Liston holds in her hand. The
little boy--he was an orphan, you see--became a sailor. He never
knew that he was a King--the Hope of his country, of all the old men
and the wise men in it--the holder of the fate of nations. Think of
that."

The story pleased Sep, who sat with open lips and eager eyes,
listening to it.

"Do you think it is an interesting story? What do you think is the
end of it?"

"I don't know," answered Sep, gravely.

"Neither do I. No one knows the end of that story yet. But if you
were a King--if you were that boy--what would you do? Would you go