CHAPTER X
Le Roi s’amuse
AGAIN the King adopted his favourite trick of clapping his hands to his ribs, and shouting his laughter.
“Too absurd, too absurd!” he said. “I protest, Farnham, you make me laugh. You can’t do it, hey? You can’t shoot your King. My dear Farnham, do you really hold that to be so remarkable? Confess, now, did you ever seriously for a moment think you could?”
“I did, Sire, and tried,” said Lord Farnham.
“What a pity you did not recognise your limitations sooner, Farnham,” said the King. “Think of the pother you would have spared yourself.”
“True, Sire,” said Farnham.
“That you should ever have thought that you could have slain your sovereign, my dear Farnham, is the most whimsical thing I ever heard in my life.”
“Not altogether, Sire,” said the young man significantly. “Your Majesty may recall instances of regicide.”
“You should have spared us that, Farnham,” said the King reproachfully. An almost human emotion seemed for once to be in his eyes. They were full of pain.