"Yes, and I'm about the same!" replied Ned soberly. "That fellow certainly is a rascal. He's planning on dynamiting me!"
"No, he isn't," protested Jimmie. "He's planning on a fiasco or my dream book is wrong. Remember your motto, Scout, and 'Be Prepared'! We'll give him a mighty big surprise when the time comes!"
"Thank you, Jimmie," replied Ned, smiling faintly.
A soldier was rapping on the door.
"The young gentlemen are wanted by the court," he announced.
CHAPTER XXV. The Musketeer's Mistake.
At the western side of the castle, close against its massive wall, a great carved chair from the drawing room had been placed. In it was seated an officer examining a pile of papers placed on a small table by his side. About him were grouped several officers and an orderly.