The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-03-20

place, the man is not an Italian. Did
scholar like you, Davie, fail to notice
that when he was In want OF word, II
was French word he used? He is there
fore, no italian, but n Frenchman mas
querading as an italian. Therefore, the
lproject, whatever it is, pertains tc
France, and it is his desire that this not
be known Now what does France most
desire Scotland to do at this moment?'
1T thinks we should avenge Flodden;
and many belonging to the court are in
agreement with France on this point.'
HAS your necromancer ever mentioned
Flodden?"
"Once or twice he spoke of it with re
greet
II thought So continued the king;
"and now hope you are beginning to see
his design"
what Your Majesty says is very in
genous: bet If / may be permitted 70
raise an objection to the theory, would
ask Your Majesty why this was not done
through the French ambassador. French
gold has been used before now in the
Scottish Court: and it seems to nae that q
great nation like France would not stooI
to enlist the devices Of charlatan, II
this man be chalatan."
| "Ah. now we enter the domain OF
State secrets, Davie, and there is where
a king has an advantage over the com
moner. Some while ago the French
ambassador offered me subsidy. Now
! am not so avarcious as my grandfather
nor so lavish as my father, and j
told the ambassador that l would de-
pend on Scottish gold. / acquainted him
| uyifh If Tn
extracting gold from Leadhills in the
iClydesdale, and ! showed him ray newly
cclned pieces. He was SO condcscending
ly pleased and interested that he begged
the privilege OF having his own bars of
metal coined in my mint, in order to
1 dishuIse his expenses in the coin of the
realm, and also to send some Of our bon
net pieces as specimens to France itself
This right OF coinage / willingly bestowed
'rpon him; firstly, because he asked il
secondly, l was glad to have some ac-
count Of his expenditure. When |
came in just now | examined these coins
closely, and you imagined that / was
Isuspiclous OF the purity OF the metal This
was not SO. / told my mint master to
Iooiu all the bars the ambassa dor gave
him, TO keep a strict account OF the is.
sue. and TO mark each piece with the
tletter FL on the margin. | find three
lot the coins which we received tonight
bearing this private mark; therefore, they
have passed through the hands OF the
| French ambassador to the alchemist"
| Sir David gave forth an exclamation Of
surprise. He left his seat. took the bon
net pieces from his pocket ard placed
them under the lamp.
Now" said the king, you need sharp
ltyes to detect this mark, but there 1t is.
and there, and there. Let Us look Il little
lcioseT into the object of France. The
! English king is my uncle, and France
Ifears that / will keep the peace with my
ncighbor so through his ambassador he
lsounds me and learns that such indeed
is my intention. France resolves to leave
me alone and accomplish its object by
lcorrupting, with gold coined in my own
mint, the mobiles of my court, and, by
lGod!'' cried James in sudden anger bring
ling the coins down on the table and max
ling the coins Jingle, France is succeed
ling through the blind stupidity of men
who might have been expected to know
their right hand from their left. The
lgreatest heads of my realm are being
oczened by a trickster; befooed in
Way that any humble pIowman should be
ashamed of. If you see now why they
wish to keep the silly proceedings from
the king. tell you, Davie, that Italians
head comes off, and thus in some small
measure will I avenge Flodden.''
Sir David LINDSAY SAT meditatively ST.
lent for some moments while the king in
angry Impotence strobe up and down
the small limits of the room. When the
heat OF his majesty's temper had par
italy cooled, Sir David spoke with some
thing of diplomatic shrewdness.
81 never before realized the depth and
penetration of your majesty's mind. You
have gone straight to the heart Of this
mystery and have thrown light into its
obseurest corner. as a dozen flaming
torches would have illumined that dark
Laboratory in the monastery. have shar
cd the stupidity of your mobiles, which
the charity of your judgment now exposes
SO plainly; therefore, ] feel that 1t would
be presumption on my part to offer ad
vice to your majesty in the further prose
cution of this affair"
mo, Davie, no" said the king stopping
in his march and speaking with pleased
ccrdiality, "no, value your advice you
are en- honest man, and it is not, to be
leApected that the subtlety and craTinesS
of these foreigners should. be as clear to
you as the sunshine on a Highland hill.
lSreak out, Davie, and if you give me
your counsel know it will be as whole
Isome as oatmeal porridge.'
We'll, your majesty, you must meet
lsrhtlety with subtlety.'
Il am not sure that the adage holds
good, Davie," demurred the king. you
lcannot OUTRAGE a High!andman in his own
glen, although you may fight him fairly
in the open Once this Frenchman's head
is off, you stop his boiling pot"
That is quite true, your majesty, but
If the French ambassador should put in
claim for his worthless carcass, you will
claim for his worthless carcass, you will
find yourself on the eve of break with
France. if you PROCEED to his execution"
But | shall have made France throw
off its mask
But shall have made France throw
of IT'S mask"
1t is not France 1 am thinking about,
your majesty Your own MOBILES have
gone clean daft over this italian. He is
their goose that lays the golden eggs,
and you saw yourself tonight with what