Page:Roy Norton--The unknown Mr Kent.djvu/55

 of getting Her Royal Highness to assent," boomed the chancellor.

"My sister," explained the king to the financier, "is—somewhat difficult. She has—and I don't mean this as disparagement or criticism—quite a will and temper of her own. She rather stubbornly insisted on all of us remaining and fighting to the death."

"Positively refused to recognise the hopelessness of the odds," the chancellor seconded. "Declared she would go and face them alone, which was just what Provarsk would have liked. Tried to call for help by telephone, but Provarsk's crew had cut the wires. Tried to shoot a man who crawled round the balcony toward her chamber, but the pistol wasn't loaded. It was very difficult, sir. Very. We had to threaten to carry her away by force for her own safety before she would go."

"Whose task was that?" asked Kent.

"His Majesty's."

"I should say that, too, required some bravery," commented the American.

"It did," assented Von Glutz, grinning drily and stroking his nose, in an effort to hide his mirth.

"And this Paulo is?" Kent questioned.

"The captain of the king's guard, which unfortunately consists, owing to His Majesty's [51]