E-text prepared by Martin Pettit and the Project Gutenberg Online Distributed Proofreading Team (http://www.pgdp.net/) Note: The other authors to whom this work is attributed are John Boyle O'Reilly, J. S. Dale, and John T. Wheelwright. THE KING'S MEN A Tale of To-Morrow ROBERT GRANT, ET AL. Copyright, 1884, by Robert Grant. CONTENTS. CHAPTER PAGE I. RIPON HOUSE, 1 II. RICHARD LINCOLN, 8 III. MY LADY'S CHAMBER, 19 IV. JARLEY JAWKINS, 32 V. "JAWKIN'S JOLLITIES," 46 VI. THE ROYALISTS, 67 VII. A FOUR-IN-HAND AND ONE IN THE BUSH, 85 VIII. SPRETAE INJURIA FORMAE, 97 IX. "THE COURSE OF TRUE LOVE," 110 X. KING GEORGE THE FIFTH, 124 XI. THE RAISING OF THE FLAG, 147 XII. IN THE LION'S MOUTH, 161 XIII. AN UNFINISHED TASK, 174 XIV. THE LAST ROYALIST, 180 XV. LOVE LAUGHS AT LOCKSMITHS, 193 XVI. MRS. CAREY'S HUSBAND, 215 XVII. AT THE COURT OF ST. JAMES, 225 XVIII. TWO CARDS PLAYED, 243 XIX. A WOMAN'S END, 252 XX. "FROM CHAIN TO CHAIN," 258 XXI. NULLA VESTIGA RETRORSUM, 265 THE KING'S MEN. CHAPTER I. RIPON HOUSE. There are few Americans who went to England before the late wars but will remember Ripon House. The curious student of history--a study, perhaps, too little in vogue with us--could find no better example of the palace of an old feudal lord. Dating almost from the time of the first George--and some even say it was built by the same Wren who designed that St. Paul's Cathedral whose ruins we may still see to the east of London--it frowned upon the miles of private park surrounding it, a marble memorial of feudal monopoly and man's selfish greed. The very land about it, to an extent of almost half a county, was owned by the owners of the castle, and by them rented out upon an annual payment to such farmers as they chose to favor with a chance to earn their bread.