Page:Roy Norton--The unknown Mr Kent.djvu/75

 king understands that we must have support and possibly refuge. That is all he asks of you. I shall attempt to clear Provarsk out without bloodshed. After that I shall endeavour to advise the king how to rehabilitate himself as the real ruler of Marken."

"But what do you propose to do!" demanded the old baron. "What is the first move? It looks rather difficult to me. Provarsk has brains. He is fearless; fearless in the adventurer way. If you think you have an infant to fight you are wrong. You might lose."

"I never play to lose," retorted Kent. "I make no such calculation."

"Karl," said the baron, after a thoughtful study of the American, "all the support I have to give is yours."

"That being so," hastily suggested Kent, "the next move is to send Captain Paulo back to bring the princess, her maid, and my man Ivan here as quickly as possible. It must not become known to the public that the king has ever been driven from the kingdom. For the present, it will do, if his absence is noted, that he and his sister have been here as your guests, voluntarily."

The baron assented with an enthusiasm that had in it a suggestion of mischievousness.

"That will do nicely," he said. "And it will be easy as far as my part is concerned, because I [71]