"You are very good," Ughtred answered. "Brand has been a God-send to us. The position here has been fairly represented to England, and, in fact, Europe, through his reports. He, too, will be delighted to see you again. Miss Van Decht, you must allow me to present Captain Hartzan of the Artillery--the Duke of Reist you already know. Now, when did you arrive?"
"Last night," Sara answered. "That dear little train of yours brought us from the frontier. We scarcely expected to see you so soon."
"It is my great good-fortune," Ughtred answered. "I go every morning to the fortifications to direct the artillery practice. The Van Decht battery has been in action this morning," he added, smiling.
"I presume, sir, that this is a warlike country!" Mr. Van Decht remarked.
"It is not our choice," he answered. "We are surrounded by dangerous enemies, and we are a very small nation. Our security depends solely upon our readiness to resist attack. For these last two months I have had to forget that I am a King, and remember only that I am Commander-in-Chief of our little army."
"I presume that you are not anticipating any immediate trouble, sir?" Mr. Van Decht asked.
The King glanced round. Already he was learning the lesson of caution.
"The history of Theos," he said, "is doubtless unknown to you. Turkey is our old and historic enemy, and her attitude towards us just now is, to say the least of it, threatening. We trust to our inoffensiveness and the good-will of the Powers to preserve our independence, but we judge it best to be prepared so far as possible to fight our own battles. Well, Crasten, what are you bringing us?"
The hotel proprietor bowed low, and filled some finely-cut glasses with liqueur from a dusty and carefully cradled bottle.
"The fin champagne, your Majesty, was brought from the cellars of Louis Philippe by my father. I trust your Majesty will approve."
Ughtred sipped it, and did approve. He accepted some coffee also, and broke a roll in his fingers.
"This is my longest fast," he explained, laughing. "We ride out at six to escape the heat. Part of my afternoon I spend at the barracks and part at the House of Laws."
"It appears to me, sir, that you find pretty considerable to do," Mr. Van Decht remarked. "I'd an idea that royalty had an easier time of it."