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118 anything else of the Khan's that you'd like? It's no bother to me to get you the whole treasury if you'd care for it."

"The goblet will do," she said, blushing charmingly, and looking at her father to see whether he was listening. He was n't.

"Papa," said Vanella, "it's all right."

"Eh? What's all right?"

"He's going, after luncheon."

"Who is?""

"This young gentleman."

"Oh, yes," said the King. "Very well. I suppose he will get the goblet first. Yes? Well, then, good-by, my young friend. Good-by."

"Au revoir," I answered, in the Frankish mode.

"Can you not leave the parrot?" suggested Vanella. "I adore green parrots—of that particular shade of green, I mean!" "With pleasure," I answered with a grateful glance. "May I ask you to allow it to remind you of me?"

"The color will help," said the King, a little maliciously, I thought. So I hurried away without further delay.

As there were no modern systems of rapid transit, I traveled speedily but comfortably toward Bijoutery, thinking so constantly of the Princess that I never reflected upon how I was to obtain possession of the goblet until I found myself upon the frontier. Then I was stopped by an outpost of the Khan's army.

"Who goes there?" he inquired, as he drew his bow and adjusted an arrow to the string.

"Goes where?" I asked, waking up from a brown study, for I was a little abstracted.

"Wherever you are going," he explained, lowering his bow.

"Why, I do, I suppose," I answered, a little annoyed by the question, which was absurd on the face of it.

"Well, what do you want?" he asked.