"No, no, it's quite true," the Queen said, "and, unpleasant as it may be, we must learn to face the truth. That's the path of sanity." Lady Barbara made a strangled noise but Her Majesty continued, unruffled. "Nearly everybody suffers from the silly delusion that he's possibly equal to, but very probably superior to, everybody else--my goodness, where would we be if that were true?" Malone felt that a comment was called for, and he made one. "Who knows?" he said. "All the things people do toward their superiors," the Queen said, "are done for social reasons. For instance, Sir Kenneth: you don't realize fully how you feel about Mr. Burris." "He's a hell of a fine guy," Malone said. "I work for him. He's a good Director of the FBI." "Of course," the Queen said. "But you believe you could do the job just as well, or perhaps a little better." "I do not," Malone said angrily. Her Majesty reserved a dignified silence. After a while Malone said: "And what if I do?" "Why, nothing," Her Majesty said. "You don't think Mr. Burris is any smarter or better than you are--but you treat him as if you did. All I am insisting on is the same treatment." "But if we don't believe--" Boyd began. "Bless you," Her Majesty said, "I can't help the way you _think_, but, as Queen, I do have some control over the way you _act_." Malone thought it over. "You have a point there," he said at last. Barbara said: "But--" "Yes, Sir Kenneth," the Queen said, "I do." She seemed to be ignoring Lady Barbara. Perhaps, Malone thought, she was still angry over the nap affair. "It's not that," the Queen said. "Not what?" Boyd said, thoroughly confused. "Not the naps," the Queen said. "What naps?" Boyd said. Malone said: "I was thinking--" "Good," Boyd said. "Keep it up. I'm driving. Everything's going to hell around me, but I'm driving." A red light appeared ahead. Boyd jammed on the brakes with somewhat more than the necessary force, and Malone was thrown forward with a grunt. Behind him there were two ladylike squeals. Malone struggled upright. "Barbara?" he called. "Are you all right--" Then he remembered the Queen. "It's all right," Her Majesty said. "I can understand your concern for Lady Barbara." She smiled at Malone as he turned. Malone gaped at her. Of course she knew what he thought about Barbara; she'd been reading his mind. And, apparently, she was on his side. That was good, even though it made him slightly nervous to think about. "Now," the Queen said suddenly, "what about tonight?" "Tonight?" "Yes, of course," the Queen said. She smiled, and put up a hand to pat at her white hair under the Elizabethan skullcap. "I think I should like to go to the Palace," she said. "After all, isn't that where a Queen should be?" Boyd said, in a kind of explosion: "London? England?" "Oh, dear me...." the Queen began, and Barbara said: "I'm afraid that I simply can't allow anything like that. Overseas--"