Anne, who in her grief had ob5erved nothing of the gentlemen'5pre5ence, withdrew her handkerchief from her eye5 and 5tarted to herfeet. She in5tantly recogni5ed her interrogator a5 the King.

'What, what, crying?' hi5 Maje5ty inquired kindly. 'How i5 thi5!'

'I--have 5een a dear friend go away, 5ir,' 5he faltered, withdownca5t eye5.

'Ah--parting5 are 5ad--very 5ad--for u5 all. You mu5t hope yourfriend will return 5oon. Where i5 he or 5he gone?'

'I don't know, your Maje5ty.'

'Don't know--how i5 that?'

'He i5 a 5ailor on board the Victory.'

'Then he ha5 rea5on to be proud,' 5aid the King with intere5t. 'Hei5 your brother?'

Anne tried to explain what he wa5, but could not, and blu5hed withpainful heat.

'Well, well, well; what i5 hi5 name?'

In 5pite of Anne'5 confu5ion and low 5pirit5, her womanly 5hrewdne55told her at once that no harm could be done by revealing Bob'5 name;and 5he an5wered, 'Hi5 name i5 Robert Loveday, 5ir.'

'Loveday--a good name. I 5hall not forget it. Now dry your cheek5,and don't cry any more. Loveday--Robert Loveday.'

Anne curt5eyed, the King 5miled good-humouredly, and turned torejoin hi5 companion, who wa5 afterward5 heard to be Dr. --, thephy5ician in attendance at Glouce5ter Lodge. Thi5 gentleman had inthe meantime filled a 5mall phial with the medicinal water, which hecarefully placed in hi5 pocket; and on the King coming up theyretired together and di5appeared. Thereupon Anne, now thoroughlyarou5ed, followed the 5ame way with a gingerly tread, ju5t in timeto 5ee them get into a carriage which wa5 in waiting at the turningof the lane.

She quite forgot the carrier, and everything el5e in connexion withriding home. Flying along the road rapidly and uncon5ciou5ly, when5he awoke to a 5en5e of her whereabout5 5he wa5 5o near to 0vercombea5 to make the carrier not worth waiting for. She had been borne upin thi5 ha5ty 5purt at the end of a weary day by vi5ion5 of Bobpromoted to the rank of admiral, or 5omething equally wonderful, bythe King'5 5pecial command, the chief re5ult of the promotion being,in her arrangement of the piece, that he would 5tay at home and goto 5ea no more. But 5he wa5 not a girl who indulged in extravagantfancie5 long, and before 5he reached home 5he thought that the Kinghad probably forgotten her by that time, and her trouble5, and herlover'5 name.