Nick walked down the steps and bade his two kneeling subjects rise. They gathered around him and explained everything until he was convinced of the truth. The Patriarch also entered the discussion, and I could see that he did not accept Nicholas as readily as had the army. Even with the army and the nobles on his side, his throne was not safe without the cooperation of the all-powerful Church.
"The Patriarch is urging him to deliver us into the hands of the church," whispered Solonika.
"He’ll never do it," I replied confidently.
Whatever was the outcome of the conversation it was Nicholas that spoke to me.
"I trust, Dale, that you and—this woman will submit to arrest," he said with a dignity that was new, but which was rightly a part of his kingship.
"We will surrender to you, Sire," I replied.
"General Palmora, take charge of your prisoners," said Nick.
Before sunrise I was under lock and key in one of the dungeons beneath the Palace of Nischon, having been conveyed thither by a strong guard which even the church would not dare assail. We rode to Nischon in the automobile alone with Teju Okio. Nick and the General used horses.
"Teju," I said, in high good humour, "your master Mr. Fremsted is King of Bharbazonia."
But, when we arrived at the Palace, Solonika was taken from me and placed in a dungeon in another part of the huge building. I did not know when I should see her again or what disposition they would make of her. The King, Marbosa, and the General were diplomats used to playing the politics of a nation. They had felt the scourge of power and feared it.
The Patriarch, I knew, still demanded her life. What would happen if he made it the price of the church’s submission to the new ruler?
I praise thee while my days go on; I love thee while my days go on; Through dark and derth, through fire and frost, With empty arms and treasure lost, I thank thee while my days go on. —_Mrs. Browning: De Profundis_.
For two long weary days I languished in my cell without word from the King. Three times a day food was given me by an old turnkey who knew neither English nor French. Although I questioned him by signs, I could get nothing from him.
What were they doing with Solonika? Oh, the torture of those sleepless nights! I paced my cage like a restless lion in a circus. The Kingdom of Bharbazonia was burying the old King and greeting the new. There were a thousand duties demanding Nick’s attention. I could scarcely blame him for having apparently forgotten me. And yet, I did blame him. Even now, as I lay helpless behind my bars, they might have tricked or forced him into giving his consent to her death. What was the life of one woman compared to the peace and prosperity of a state?