"Exactly, ma'am. But there was worse to come. Being thrown down I could have stood, but could not stand being run at of a night-time when doing my duty according to your and Mr. Lite's directions, which was: "Be about, Mr. Harrison, here and there, and keep an eye, a special eye, on that there Mr. Bush, and at the telephone punctual to the moment at three," and then to be to and fro till morning; which I would have till I dropped, and was, though her ladyship, when caught by me with Mr. Bush a-tampering with one of your machines, sir, made for me, sir, him helping of her, and she only in a shawl, ma'am, and he anyhow, with his beard all a-full of your belongings, sir, as I took from him, though nearly laid low; and she screaming up the stairs with her hands that full of your Turkish delight as she could hardly walk, and me following after, and would have got it from her, but Mr. Bush took me unawares from behind, sir, like a coward; and if I escaped with my life, ma'am, it is a wonder—oh, most decidedly; yes, indeed, at all times it is a wonder!"
The groom of the chambers, having perorated, paused. There was a dead and awful silence. The stricken couple were rendered dumb by the magnitude of their horror. That the world should contain such wickedness, and that the Emperor, for a paltry bit of bun-praise, should have let the home to it! Even the Empress forgot to wail. She rested her head against the telescope, and closed her eyes as if to shut out the visions conjured up by Mr. Harrison's recital. Some minutes must have elapsed before she opened them and whispered, with a blush that did her the greatest credit, "And her only in a shawl!"
"My dear," said the Emperor, "my love, remember the presence of Mr. Harrison."
The Empress remembered it, and blushed again. The Emperor now turned towards the man he had intended to skin, and said, with all the frank readiness to own a fault which is only found in a noble nature:
"Mr. Harrison, I was mistook. You have done your duty, and myself and Mrs. Lite shall not forget it. You will receive those perquisites which are your bounden due."
Mr. Harrison got up and inclined himself.
"Though whatever you meant through the telephone," added the Emperor, clouding over again, "mercy only knows!"
"Yes, mercy knows!" concurred the Empress.
Mr. Harrison had no idea to what his master was alluding, but he thought it right and proper to say:
"Through the telephone, sir? I was mad, sir. They had drove me mad—most decidedly, yes, they had."