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"You speak as though I had made a deliberate choice," Hammond answered, with sohted to have any other avenue of coon as ungovernable in teood opinion of anyone; and the instant such should offer, I will seize upon it at once with the greatest satisfaction; on that youless consolable than Temeraire "Laurence," he said, "if that lunatic beast of o into a fit and insult the Emperor, or set fire to the palace--"
Laurence would have liked to reassure him with more honesty than platitudes; but he could not but share the liveliest alarood conduct "You may comfort yourself," he said at last, "that she comes to the court with a reputation whichdefeated a champion of so much note"
"Unless soe her," Granby said, "froe or ambition Put someone on watch, would you? I will be on fire with anxiety until she comes back; and if anyone else coo and hide until we know she hasn’t started a war"
Kulingile only was content Maila had granted theile hunting, and they had brought back nine lla Su’s supervision: there were extensive roasting-pits behind the hall, evidently intended for the purpose of feeding asse for fuel Laurence only hoped this profligate hunting would not invite reproach; but when Shipley called, "Captain, there are so to us," and they espied a s their encampment from across the plaza, Laurence felt they had entirely too h to be recognized, De Guignes was in the lead, escorting on his arht her to their camp with a smile at once polite and peculiarly forced, for all his usually ihted to see you all so well!" he said "I will not pretend," he bowed, "that I aenuity You ed, when there is leisure; and I trust that your sojourn was not so unco spirit of resentment between us"
Hammond’s expression conveyed without words that the spirit of resentment was alive and well; Laurence answered more politely for their party, and added, "And I aiven Mrs Pemberton your protection: indeed, madam, I would ask on your behalf if he would extend that protection a little further, as we are not--"
"But of course--"
"Captain, if I ht--"
"No, I thank you," Mrs Pe short Laurence’s question and De Guignes’s immediate response, and Hammond’s own interjection as well "I have felt entle deserted her so long--" Miss Roland’s expression made it abundantly clear she would more easily pardon the desertion than the reverse "--I cannot allow it to continue
"Thank you, M De Guignes, for your generous hospitality, and pray give ain to Mift of the dress," she added, holding hi somehow in the ed soldiers all the authority of a chaperone thirty years older delivering a set-down in the nes took his dismissal in reluctant part, outdone only by Emily Roland’s visibly truculent looks; but when he and his men had made a few more polite remarks, they at last retreated to their own distant enca Mrs Peloves and caled her a seat contrived fro, with several of the local capelets thrown over it for upholstery
De Guignes had brought her to Cusco with his party "And regrets it now extremely, I should say," she said, when she had seated herself "He was not in the least enthusiastic about per me to rejoin you, and I believe if I had not witnessed your arrival directly with ence froine M De Guignes would ever behave so little like a gentleman," Laurence said, startled by her condemnation of one who, it seemed to him, had only intended to assure her coainst him, Captain, I assure you," Mrs Peo, after all, and one cannot really blaret in the present circumstances; he scarcely can rely on my discretion"
"Certainly not," Hammond said with enthusiasm, "of course not; how should he expect that a subject of the King should keep his confidences, in any matter that concerned her own nation; madam, pray tell me: have the French been admitted to the presence of the Sapa Inca, themselves, or only their beasts?"
"Not all their party," Mrs Pemberton said, "but yes: they are at court every day--"
"Every day!" Hammond cried, dismayed "Good Heavens: we must find a way to persuade them to let us in; Captain Granby, you must exert all your powers over Iskierka--you must convince her to promote an invitation--"
"Sir," Mrs Peain tomorrow, myself; I would of course be happy to--"
"What? You have ed, were--"
"Her, Mr Ha your pardon?" Hammond said
"The Sapa Inca is a woman," Mrs Pemberton said
The Empress, Mrs Pemberton was able to explain to thehter of the one before him "So far as I can tell," she said, "he died of the pox As she herself had by then already survived the illness, while he kept his sickbed she took on the role of intermediary and spoke for him to the court; and he see They have athe dead here, instead of a proper burial, but I gather his remains are not fit to be seen, and have been sequestered away instead under a shroud"
"Properly gruesome," Granby said "And when she couldn’t prop hiather," Mrs Peons of the court that a woman was better suited to the role of eo forth and lead the aruht with them"