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Dickson retrieved thephotograph and studied it again. He swears he never locked
the door, so it must have been done fromthe other side.
You say nobody knows of
it except ourselves. He felt a suddenuprush of pride in Jaikie. But there was
also a door, whichRandal tackled confidently as if he expected it to open at
once.
Ivars face showed the confusion of his feelings. He had gone to see a
cousin about his confounded vines.
When it is in fullswing I will come back.
He
has not been in Evalloniafor many years, and even his name is scarcely
remembered.
You will lunch out of your baskets, he toldthem, while I supervise
the start of the show.
He examined it and announced that it waslocked. I
encouraged him to pay a visit to Evallonia. Mr Glynde was awaiting them, and
one or two idlers hung around thegate.
The Cirque Doré has become a common
object of theseashore.
Its a perfectly simple proposition, andtheres just the
one answer.
The Praefectus willthink I have been trying to double-cross him,
and I honestly wantedto help him. He roseand strode about the room, and his
blue eyes had a dancing light inthem.
You wont interfere with me ifyouve the
interests of Juventus at heart. But I tell you we cannot get His Royal
Highness, he said. You may well ask, said Jaikie pleasantly. Prince Odalchini,
he said, Ive come back.
Ive hada word with the young Ivar and they seem to have
taped every yard. There is, ofcourse, his uncle, the late kings brother, the
Archduke Hadrian,but he is impossible.
Juventus is in power round the
wholecircumference of the country.
There has been asyet no overt act of
hostility. Some daysoon he might have to use it, and it was good to know that
it wasthere.
I put myEvallonians high, but Im prepared to back you as a
strategistagainst them every time. The air is full of rumours, and we cant get
aline on what the Monarchists mean to do. He had gone to see a cousin about his
confounded vines.
But how can you watch so big a place when you have so many
otherthings to do?
We were at Unnutz, and saw what he was up to, so wenipped in
and pinched the Prince ourselves. Mr Galt is one ofthe most famous players in
the world.
He might regardJaikie as one who had deliberately gone over to the
other side.
Looking back, it seemed to him that everything hadbeen predestined.
ButJaikie continued to plead, judging meantime the distance from theculvert and
the plank. This was nomere ebullition of militarism, but something uncommonly
like anational revival.
When it is in fullswing I will come back.
Mr Glyndes
nil admirari countenance for a second time in fiveminutes registered
surprise.
You look troubled, Alison dear, but you neednt worry. That
blazingrifle-backsight among the hills was the road to freedom.
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