“Accompany me to the palace,” replied Kearns. “I shall leave you in my private bureau in the Chancellerie until the time comes for your audience with the King.”
“I am at your disposition,” answered Mortimer simply.
“One question I want to ask you,” said Kearns. “Have you communicated with anybody since your return?”
“With no one,” replied Mortimer. “I was naturally not anxious to advertise the fact of my being under arrest.”
“That was very wise,” remarked Kearns. “Now let us go.”
They accordingly made their way direct to the palace and entered Kearns’s bureau off the main room of the Chancellerie.
“Now,” exclaimed Kearns, “I invite you to make yourself as comfortable as possible here until audience time comes. It will be only a couple of hours or so.”
“Very well,” assented Mortimer cheerfully.
“More than this,” continued Kearns, “knowing your propensity for running into adventures of various kinds and in view of my promise to the King, I am going to ask you to pledge me your word of honor that you won’t leave this room during the next two hours.”
“Ah,” demurred Mortimer, smiling; “that’s a hard promise to exact. Who can tell what may turn up within two hours?”