“‘When the four men are dead or past fighting, I shall raise the alarm?’
“‘And then?’
“‘My men will run away, and I shall cut the throats of the others to make certain, and there you are.’
“‘And where am I to meet you?’
“‘At the little harbour of Mergellina. I shall have swift rowers who will take us to a safe point away from those cursed English. I have sent you a cloak which will pass you out,’ he replied. And then the Princess stole back to her room, put on the slippers she had just taken off, muffled herself up in the cloak, and passed out without so much as one of the sentries challenging her.
“‘Could you not have warned the Queen?’ I asked the Princess.
“‘Yes; but that would have stayed the departure of the diamonds, and all the arrangements would have been to make afresh, and that in the face of the secret being out.’
“‘You are a better general than I,’ I said to that lovely eager face. ‘Now tell me what I am to do.’
“‘Send sailors, as many as are necessary to drive the cut-throats off, and see the chair safely to where the gentleman inside wishes to go, which will be here.’
“There was a knock at the door, but so absorbing was the topic that neither of us heard; then came a louder knock, and the gravity of a situation, graver even than the loss of the Queen’s diamonds, dawned upon me.