The cry was taken up by all the servants and tenants who had collected in the courtyard, and was accentuated by a second boom from the brass gun. Thus acclaimed, the king, supported by Tom, walked into the great hall, and was thence conducted by the Princess herself to his private apartments. ‘The first thing,’ she whispered to him, ‘will be to hold a council.’ ‘Of course!’ assented Charlie. ‘We must hold a council at once. Let me see. May Tom—I mean Mr Checkstone—act as my private secretary until I can appoint some one else to the post?’ ‘Most certainly! Your Majesty’s wishes are commands. I will send Mr Checkstone to you.’ And the amiable Princess respectfully kissed her nephew and retired. A minute later, Tom peeped in at Charlie’s door and entered his room. The two young men at once burst into fits of suppressed laughter. ‘It is really too bad!’ exclaimed Charlie. ‘You can’t imagine how difficult it has been for me to keep my countenance.’ ‘Never mind; you have done very well so far,’ returned Tom. ‘I am to be your private secretary _pro tem._, and you are to hold a council. I must therefore beg your Majesty to graciously nominate your councillors.’ ‘Whom shall I nominate? There is Father M‘Fillan.’ ‘And Alexander Gordon, the factor; he is a presentable sort of fellow.’ ‘And my aunt, the Princess.’ ‘Ah, the constitution doesn’t permit you to nominate women.’ ‘Well, then, we four can hold the council, if the council must be held,’ said Charlie.—‘Now, how am I to comport myself?’ ‘Father M‘Fillan understands, of course, that we are only masquerading; but you mustn’t let him know that you have even the most distant designs on your aunt’s money-bags, for he would spoil the game in an instant if he did know it. As for Sandy Gordon—to him you must be the king, the whole king, and nothing but the king. If I were you, I should knight him. It would consolidate his loyalty.’ ‘I’ll make him a baronet, if you like,’ assented Charlie. ‘It won’t cost any more.—But what are we to do in council?’ ‘To decide upon your plan of action,’ said Tom. ‘And we may as well settle that here. The decision must be that no public steps are to be taken at present.’ ‘Quite so.—But don’t, Tom, push matters too far. I only want to be able to marry Kate, you know; and really five hundred a year from my aunt would satisfy me.’ ‘All right, old fellow; you shall have a thousand.—But now to business. I will go and announce the nomination of councillors. The council will meet in the drawing-room in half an hour. Shave yourself, and make yourself look as royal as possible. There was to be a valet to wait upon you, but he hasn’t yet arrived from Edinburgh.—How they are pounding away with that absurd brass gun! Fortunately, the powder has almost run out, so you won’t be troubled with your full salute.’ And Tom disappeared.