But suddenly arrested with both hands in the air and his mouth open, John Mortimer looked on in confusion and a kind of mental stupor. He was glad that no one of his nation was present to see him making a fool of himself. The next moment Isabel had seized his hand, and he found himself again whirling lumpishly round to the ancient refrain:-- "_Sur le pont d' Avignon, Tout le monde y passe!_" The little Queen's merry laugh rang out at his awkwardness, and then seeing Rollo she ran impetuously to him. "Come you and play," she cried, "the red foreigner plays like a wooden puppet. And where is that darling little page-boy from Aranjuez?" "That I cannot tell," quoth Rollo, smiling, "but here comes his sister!" A moment after Concha entered the room talking confidentially to La Giralda. She was now dressed in her own girlish costume of belted blouse, black _basquina_ pleated small after the Andalucian manner, and the quaint and pretty _rebozo_ thrown coquettishly back from the finest and most bewitching hair in Spain. The little Isabel went up to Concha, took her by the hand, perused her from head to foot, and then remarked with deep feeling-- "You are very well, Senorita, but--I liked your brother better!" CHAPTER XL ALL DANDIES ARE NOT COWARDS It was not, however, so simple a matter as Rollo supposed to obtain an audience with the Queen-Regent of Spain. Her daughter, willing, but by no means eager to see her mother, had at last been taken up to her room by one of the serving-men, whose faithfulness during the night had been so greatly stimulated by La Giralda's declared intention of shooting either of them who should fail from his post for an instant. To the same gold-laced functionary, upon his return, Rollo made his request. "Tell her Majesty that those gentlemen who last night defended the palace, wish to be admitted into her presence in order that they may represent to her the danger of remaining longer in a house exposed alike to the attacks of bloodthirsty villains and to the ravages of the plague." "Her Majesty, being otherwise engaged, is not at present able to receive the gentlemen," was the civil but unsatisfactory answer brought back. Rollo stood a moment fuming, biting his thumb-nail as he had a fashion of doing when thinking deeply. Then he asked a sudden question-- "Where is El Sarria?" "Without on the terrace--doing a little sentry duty on his own account," said the Sergeant. "I told him that the gipsies, being walkers in darkness, had gone off for at least twelve hours, and that there was no use in any further vigilance till nightfall, should it be our ill-fortune to spend another night in this place. But" (here the Sergeant shrugged his shoulders very slightly, as only an Andalucian or a Frenchman can), "well--our excellent Don Ramon is the best and bravest of men. But it is a pity that he has not room here for more than one idea at a time!" And Sergeant Cardono tapped his brow with his forefinger.