Chapter
3
ONCE AGAIN A MAN AND A BOY WALKED THROUGH THE GARDENS of the palace; and when they approached, sentries snapped to attention and presented arms; but outside the great gates no smiling crowds waited to wave and cheer, and there were many more soldiers at the gates than there ever had been before. The man was tense, his steps jerky; his eyes shifted constantly from side to side, apprehensively; his brows were furrowed by an habitual frown. The boy at his side was sullen, his bearing arrogant.
"How much longer do I have to stay cooped up here like a prisoner?" he demanded. "I want to go for a drive. I want to go to the lodge for a week-end."
"You would never reach the lodge, you little fool," snapped the man. "You would be dead before you reached the city limits."
"Are you not
