"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."
"Very dam fine," he smiled.
And I agreed with him.
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?
CHAPTER XXIII
THE KING'S OFFERING
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.