"Well, Mr. Harrison?" said the Emperor with growing emphasis—"well?"
The groom of the chambers felt that a statement of some kind about something was undoubtedly required of him; he made a violent effort to summon his mind, and, partially succeeding, was able presently to exclaim with a good deal of determination:
"Not at all, sir—oh dear no; not at all—by no means!"
This seemed to him a remark that was adroit, and one that covered a considerable number of interrogative possibilities. Unfortunately, however, it did not appear to satisfy the requirements of the Emperor, who with some ferocity remarked:
"And what d'you mean by that, Mr. Harrison? Hah!"
The groom of the chambers was at length fully aroused by the very complex situation in which he now found himself, and, being really a man of considerable resource, he put two and two together with the swiftness of a Maxim gun.
"James Bush, sir," he said very emphatically; "oh dear no, sir! James Bush—not at all—by no means—on no account whatever!"
He had not the smallest idea what he meant, or what he was being asked, and nobody could have been more surprised than himself at the effect which his vociferous jargon created. The Emperor turned to the Empress with the manner of a man who has received his quietus.
"There, Henrietta!" he said hoarsely—"there! You see what Mr. Harrison thinks of him! And that he should come into the home! A feller like that—a feller that——" He broke off, and turned to the astounded groom of the chambers. "Mr. Harrison," he said, "we depend upon you in this affair entirely."