And he--the King--was the recognized, the accredited, figurehead, of all their varied thoughts, ideals, emotions. Was not this the reason, that he might serve as a link between the varied ideals of all his people, that the King, his father, had been content to live a man apart, isolated, lonely, remote? Was it not for this that his brother, the Prince, had prepared himself, sacrificing himself, never sparing himself? And he had followed them unwillingly-- A new resolve, or something as near akin to a new resolve as he dare venture upon, in his new distrust, his new contempt, for himself, was registered by the King, at that moment. If the old Duke "cut the rope"--and the old Duke would, he must "cut the rope"--he, the King, would shape the course of his life, differently-- It was not, he realized, that these were new thoughts with him. They were, rather, thoughts which had lurked, until now, at the back of his mind, overlaid by that preoccupation with himself, by that thinking first of himself, which given the chance, given the time, it would be his business, now, to alter-- The shutting of the door, behind him, at this point, startled the King out of his reverie. Looking round, he found that Judith had left the table, and slipped quietly out of the room. He turned to his right--and met Uncle Bond's curious glance. Uncle Bond pushed a cigar box across the table, towards him. The King chose a cigar absently. Uncle Bond selected a long, and formidable looking cheroot, lit it, and then leaning back in his chair, began to talk. "I would give a good deal to be able to read your thoughts, my boy," he remarked. "Perhaps I can read--some of them! If it were not for the bond of friendship between us, I should be tempted to regard you as a most fascinating psychological study. Your position, the circumstances in which you find yourself, at the moment are--unique. And you are becoming conscious of that, and of many other things, unless I am much mistaken. Our little comedy is drawing to its close, I fancy. Meanwhile, shall we share our thoughts? Or do you feel that silence is as essential, as it is said to be golden?" The King hesitated, for a moment. His recent thoughts could be shared with no one--not even with Uncle Bond, not even with Judith-- Then, as he looked up, in his perplexity, his eyes were caught by the landscape, framed in the open window doors, in front of him. Instinctively, he fell back upon his earlier thoughts, of what was happening over there, beyond the wooded skyline, of why he had not heard from the Duke. "I have been wondering what is happening over there," he said, indicating the far horizon with a gesture. "I begin to want to know what is happening. The Duke said he would be communicating with me, you know. I suppose you haven't heard from the Duke again?"