a manifestly formal way, as though declaiming a ritual. The next
instant he went on in the thoroughly practical conventional way which
was usual to him:

"May I ask a favour, Mr. Sent Leger?"

"A thousand, my dear Rooke," I said. "You can't ask me anything
which I shall not freely grant. And I speak within my brief from the
National Council. You have saved Ilsin this day, and the Council
will thank you for it in due time."

"Me, sir?" he said, with a look of surprise on his face which seemed
quite genuine. "If you think that, I am well out of it. I was
afraid, when I woke, that you might court-martial me!"

"Court-martial you! What for?" I asked, surprised in my turn.

"For going to sleep on duty, sir! And the fact is, I was worn out in
the attack on the Silent Tower last night, and when you had your
interview with the pirate--all good pirates forgive me for the
blasphemy! Amen!--and I knew that everything was going smoothly, I
went into the wheel-house and took forty winks." He said all this
without moving so much as an eyelid, from which I gathered that he
wished absolute silence to be observed on my part. Whilst I was
revolving this in my mind he went on:

"Touching that request, sir. When I have left you and the Voivode--
and the Voivodin, of course--at Vissarion, together with such others
as you may choose to bring there with you, may I bring the yacht back
here for a spell? I rather think that there is a good deal of