“‘You are surely joking?’
“‘I am not, colonel, for after the review was all over, the king, disguised as an ordinary gentleman, went boldly up to the principal of the academy, and had a long conversation with him about Lawrence. They did not perceive me, for I was sitting at my window reading, yet, as they walked to and fro, I could hear much of what they said.’
“‘And what did they say?’
“‘The king’s disguise was discovered by the president, and the monarch did not deny it, but in the course of conversation confessed that he had always felt great interest in Lawrence’s progress, for he was his own son.”
“‘His own son!’ said the astonished colonel.
“‘Yes, his own son—illegitimate, it is true, but nevertheless, his own true offspring.’
“‘And who was the mother?’
“‘That I did not then learn; but when Lawrence first came among us as a mere boy to the academy he wore a locket round his neck which was unmistakably the portrait on ivory of the young and fascinating Duchess of Buckingham. (See Cut in No. 13). From this I gather that she must have been his mother.’
“‘I am astonished,’ said the colonel. ‘And has not the king, then, provided for his after welfare?’
“‘Without a doubt. I heard him say that some grand and vast estates in France had been passed over to him, and that a large sum in money would be his when he married?’