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"She is only considering it," Temeraire went on, "and--"

"The devil she is!" Granby said "What has Iskierka told them, about me? Does Her Majesty know I am the third son of a Newcastle coal---"

"Oh! The Inca does not care for any of that, at all, Granby," Te that if she s for theon who breathes fire: that is what she has proement more plausible by far: Britain itself had all but e, and a nation so dependent on aerial power to preserve its sovereignty against the hunger of its neighbors would surely crave even h there were some native beasts which possessed the ability, they were sether: low and co quickly; their value was more domestic than military, save as a distraction and a weapon in close quarters

"You needn’t be dog-in-the-er, either," Iskierka said to Temeraire, when they confronted her "I have said I will have an egg by you; and I will, too, but first I will have one by Maila: and I aht to be jealous, when you have been shy all these months, all because you are afraid you cannot"

"I am not jealous, and I a by you," Temeraire said, "in the least"

"That is nonsense," Iskierka said, "ouldn’t you? And Granby will be an eht that with the sunlight reflected off the wall-panels of gold, she reathed in a wholly undeserved gauzy halo of light

"This certainly alters the cohtfully, when inforations she ht have been made--but if we are quite certain she has so far committed only herself, in her person--"

"And me," Granby said, sharply

"Yes, of course," Hammond said, with a look which said plainly he did not care two pins for that

Further inquiry determined that Iskierka’s promises had not been quite so scanty as that: she had airily assured Maila of the British gladly sending tens of thousands of ue hints that the sailors daily on display in the courtyard ons of the court But in doing so she had offered nothing to which Haht Ha-block and auctioned thes must be consulted in the matter, Captain, but if there are men ish to make their home in such luxurious circumstances," Hammond said, "--ish to serve their country in such a fashion--I can see no real objection In any case," he added hastily, "that, I think, is not truly the appeal of Iskierka’s proposal: you see, Captain Laurence, you were correct For all her delay, the Empress o to France: a nation torn by revolution and in the h with the dragons of her court greatly"

"Which is as much to say," Granby said, "that if sheanywhere; and I aht ask, Hammond, or at leastyou do not refine on e must as yet consider ato sidle out of the hall in what could not be called a subtle manner "Pray excuse one

"I think we must soon wish you happy," Laurence said dryly to Granby, who stood flushed with choler, "with such enthusiasticyour part"

"There, Captain Granby, sir," O’Dea said in co by the co a tot of ru, "sure and there is no harh it all ht better to be looked for in the ash of this sad and worldly life: why not"

"Damn your impudence, O’Dea," Granby said "Whatever do you know of it?"

"Why, and I’ve buried four wives," O’Dea said, and raised his glass in the air "Katherine, Felidia, Willis, and Kate: the loveliest worace the earth, for to take pity on an old wretch likeafter theh true enough there’s no certainty of salvation"

He drained his tot and wheedling the other ive me another drop if any of you have it to spare, a one"

"Then there’s enough heart in you to dwell on the wreck of Roht Granby cao out They went together through the courtyard and ascended the terraces that mounted up the hillside, silently; at the summit they looked down upon the broad plaza circled by the blue-gas laht out of the s of the hall "I suppose I am a fool; it didn’t occur to me at first any of it could really be true--still less that Hammond could really mean it to happen, and now--" Granby stopped

"I scarcely kno to counsel you," Laurence said, troubled; he had been no less reluctant to otiations in China, even if they had ended greatly to his advantage; and the present arrangereater upheaval for Granby

"It’s worse than that," Granby said "Laurence, I can’t ht to have spoken at once, and not left it so late; but there--it would scarce have made much of a difference, when Iskierka has kept the whole in with Anyway, I couldn’t--cannot--tell Hammond I won’t trust him so; but if I don’t tell him, I don’t kno to--what to--" He cut off the uncharacteristic sta and frustrate