"Of course you can't trust the army," said Mrs. Saunders; "for it is not commanded by a soldier. General Meyer is an excellent judge of skating and champagne, but he is more of a policeman than a warrior. I should send him on a diplomatic mission to a remote country."
"And whom would you make Commander-in-Chief in his place?" asked the King smiling.
"One of the competitors to-day."
"What!" exclaimed the King, mystified. "Who?"
"Why, my husband's friend—George Trafford, the American!"
The King roared with laughter.
"Why not appoint your husband to the post?" he demanded.
"Because my husband has a young and beautiful wife," retorted Mrs. Saunders smilingly.
"Whereas this Mr. Trafford——?"
"Is a broken-hearted bachelor. He is prepared to seek the bubble reputation even at the cannon's mouth. He has more imagination than Robert. Besides, I don't mind so much his being killed."