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So engrossed was Terry in Maximilian that he had not realized that Ginger was standing stiffly at attention.

“Oh, jiminy, I forgot to introduce Mr. Ginger Bundock, Max—Your Majesty. ”

Then Ginger was kneeling, kissing Maximilian’s hand.

“Oh, I say, please don’t do that!” begged Maximilian.

“An Englishman, sir, knows wot’s befitting to a Royal Majesty!” protested Ginger.

“Oh, chuck it, will you!”

“Right you are, sir!”

And the three small boys, actor and king and page, started to play with the delightful assassinations of the Early Christians in the model of the Colosseum and, aside from a profuse buttering of the conversation with “sirs,” Ginger was not uncomfortably obsequious to these great men. Indeed, apropos of Terry’s further complaint that it was awful to have to retake a scene twenty times, Ginger complained darkly, “If I may say so, sir, an ‘otel page ‘asn’t too cheery a time, you know. There’s old gentlemen that get very drunk, sir, and expects you to bounce out and buy ’em clean shirts after all the shops is closed, and there’s old ladies that gets you into their rooms and asks you, ‘Are you saved?’ and—”

Maximilian interrupted, “Then we ought all three to run away and—”

“And be pirates!”

“Splendid!” said Maximilian.

“Uncle ‘Ennery Bundock used to be a pirate!” yearned Ginger.

From the next room flared a voice, “Good heavens, Marie, I TOLD you to send that dress down to be pressed. ”

Maximilian quaked, “Oh, it’s my mother! She’s looking for me. ”

“No,” said Terry, looking pale. “It’s mine. ”

“Erp!” said Josephus.

Bessie entered the room swiftly, glanced at Maximilian and cried, “Good heavens, can’t I leave you for one moment without your picking up a lot of ragtag and bobtail? Who’s this brat? Send him home. We’re going to pack and go to Paris. ”

“Mother! This is King Maximilian of Slovaria!”

Bessie’s eyes darted like humming birds. From her fluttered expression it might be judged that she was recalling the rotogravure pictures of the boy king. She gasped at Maximilian, “Oh, I’m so sorry I spoke mean to you! Honestly, are you the king?”

“I’m afraid so!”

“I guess I ought to call you ‘Your Majesty,’ but I met you so sort of sudden and—uh—Did your mother know you were coming up here, King?”

“I’m afraid not. I rather ran away. ”

“Oh, my gracious, then she’ll be worried to death. I must take you right down to her. But we’d be real pleased to have you come up here and play whenever you get the time. Come on, Terry; we’ll go down with His Majesty. And you, Ginger—you beat it!”

Hesitatingly, glancing at each other like conspirators but ruled by Bessie’s clanging voice, the two royalties sheepishly followed her, not to the surreptitious back stairs but to the haughty flight in front. At her former enemy, the bobby, on guard on the floor below, Bessie snarled, “I’m with His Majesty,” and stalked past him.

“I guess I better take you right to your mother, King, so’s she’ll know you’re all safe,” beamed Bessie.

“Oh, I’m—Honestly, I’m afraid she might not like it. Mother always has a massage and rests from tea time to dinner, and she doesn’t like to be disturbed. Thank you very much for coming with me, but I can take care of myself now. ”

“Well, I thought, seeing I’m right here—it won’t be a bit of trouble; I have a few minutes to spare, and maybe we won’t go to Paris tomorrow, after all—I thought it might be nice if I could arrange for you to play with Terry again. ”

“Oh, I would like that! Perhaps we’d better see Count Elopatak. He’s in charge of most of my arrangements. He’ll be here in Room 416. ”

Bessie saw that along the corridor doors were opening, curious heads popping out. A tremendous functionary in plush breeches, yellow waistcoat and powdered wig was bearing down. Seizing Terry’s hand, she followed Maximilian into 416. It was a bedroom converted into an office. At a desk was a tall, black-mustached man with a monocle.

He spoke to Maximilian in a strange tongue; the king answered.

Coming out from behind the desk, the monocled one bowed and observed, “It is very kind of you, Madame Tait, to have brought back His Majesty. And now if I may haf the pleasure of escorting you upstairs—My name is Elopatak; I am a gentleman-inwaiting to Their Majesties. ”