'That you cannot do,' answered the stranger with a sigh. 'I know not whether he will be able to give me what I am hoping for; but if he should it is not anything that I can share, or that you would care to have.'
'You are very mysterious, my friend!' Alondra commented. 'Why are you hiding in here?'
'Well, I came here upon a little errand of my own—one somewhat similar to that which brought you, I fancy, judging by what I heard you say—to look about and find out what I could. As to who those people in purple were, I will tell you that at another time. The fact is, my friends, I have no reason to love King Agrando, though I am an officer of his household. He brought me here against my will from a distant country, and has forced me to be a sort of slave to him and to take part in things that I loathe and detest. But that is not the worst; I have a deeper wrong to set right. I have long hoped that King Ivanta might pay us a visit here so that I might appeal to him. But if you can take me to him it will be better still. Will you swear to do so if I lead you safely out of this den?'
'You have my promise,' returned Alondra a little haughtily. 'There is no need for me to repeat it or to swear.'
The other looked at the young prince keenly, and then said, in a satisfied tone, 'Your face is honest to look at, and I will trust to your promise. Follow me and I will get you a disguise.'
'A disguise!' exclaimed Alondra. 'What next?'
'It is necessary. We cannot get out without the chance of running against some one.'
'We can get out the way we came,' Alondra asserted; but the stranger shook his head.
'No,' he said decidedly. 'I saw you come in, and the door you came through is now locked and barred, and neither you nor I can open it. You must come my way, or I must give up the idea of befriending you and leave you to your own devices.'
'Very well,' Alondra assented, somewhat ungraciously. He was getting restive at the masterful manner of this stranger, who, after all, was only an under-official—or, as he himself had admitted, a kind of slave. 'What is your name?' he added as an afterthought.