“Will you please do exactly what my father tells you to,” snapped the young woman sharply.
“Hush, Gertrude!” said Mr. Hemster. Then, addressing himself to me: “Sir,” he added, “do whatever you think is best.”
I now turned to the Emperor, and made the speech of my life. I began by stating that Corea had been face to face with many a crisis during its history, but never had she been confronted with such a situation as now presented itself. Mr. Hemster, besides being King, in his own right, of the provision market in Chicago, was one of the most valued citizens of the United States, and that formidable country would spend its last sen and send its last man to avenge any injury done to Mr. Hemster, or the Princess, his daughter. I asserted that the United States was infinitely more powerful than Russia, China, and Japan added together, with each of whom he had hitherto chiefly dealt. This alone would be bad enough, but the danger of the situation was augmented by my own presence. His Majesty might perhaps be good enough to remember that the last time I had had the pleasure of meeting him I was an Envoy of a country which had probably fought more successful battles than any other nation in existence. Great Britain was also in the habit of avenging the injuries inflicted on her subjects; and so, if the Emperor was so ill-fated as to incur the displeasure of these mighty empires, whose united strength was sufficient to overawe all the rest of the earth, he would thus bring about the extinction of himself and of his nation.
I regret to say that this eloquence was largely thrown away. His Majesty paid but scanty attention to my international exposition. His fishy eyes were fixed continually on Miss Hemster, who now and then made grimaces at him as if she were a little schoolgirl, once going so far as to thrust out her tongue, which action seemed to strike the Emperor as exceedingly comic, for he laughed uproariously at it.
When I had ceased speaking the Emperor replied in a few words, but without ever taking his eyes from the girl. I answered him,—or, rather, was answering him,—when Miss Hemster interrupted impatiently:
“What are you saying? You must translate as you go on. I wish you would remember your position, Mr. Tremorne, which is that of translator. I refuse to be kept in the dark in this way.”
“Gertie, Gertie!” remonstrated her father. “Please do not interfere. Mr. Tremorne will tell us what is happening all in good time.”
And now the Emperor himself, as if he understood what was being said, commanded me to translate to them the terms he had laid down.
“I shall try to remember my position, Miss Hemster,” I replied; “and, as his Majesty’s ideas coincide with your own, I have pleasure in giving you a synopsis of what has passed.”
Then I related my opening speech to the Emperor, which appeared to commend itself to Mr. Hemster, who nodded several times in support of my dissertation on the national crisis.