"Peter," says he, "Georigetti was the only son of a well-beloved father, and ascended his throne ten years ago on his decease: but Harlokin, the prince of the revolters, whose head is never idle, finding that whispers and base stories spread about did not hurt Georigetti, or withdraw his subjects' affections, has tried a means to make him undo himself."--"As how?" says I.--"Why," said he, "by closely playing his game he has got one of his relations into the king's service, than whom he could never have chosen a fitter instrument. He, by degrees, feeding the king's humour, and promising mountains, has pushed into the best places into the kingdom. His name is Barbarsa, a most insolent man, who has had the assurance to corrupt the king's mistress, and has prevailed and brought her over to his interest."--"Oh perfidy!" says I, "is it possible?"--"Yes," says he; "and more than that, has drawn in, till now, an honest man called Nicor; and it has been agreed between them to protract this war, till by their stratagems in procuring the revolt of Gauingrunt, a very large and populous province, and now the barrier between us and the rebels, and two or three more places, they shall have persuaded Georigetti to fly; and then Barbarsa is to be king, and Yaccom-bourse his queen. A union is then to be struck between him and Harlokin, and peace made, by restoring some of the surrendered provinces; and upon the death of the first of them, or their issue, childless, the survivor, or his issue, is to take the whole. They laugh at your uniting the dominions, and the old prediction." "These," said I, "Nasgig, are serious things, and, as you say, are not lightly to be talked of; but, Nasgig, know this, he that conceals them is a traitor. Can you prove this?"--"I have heard them say so," says Nasgig.--"How!" says I, "and not discover it!"--"I am as anxious for that as you can be," says he; "but for me to be cashiered, slit, and sent to Crashdoorpt, only for meaning well, without power to perfect my good intentions, where will be the benefit to my master or me?"--"When and where did you hear this?" says I.--"Several and several times," says he, "in my own bed."--"In your own bed?" says I.--"I'll tell you," says he; "it so happens that when I rest at the palace, as I am bound to do when on duty, there is a particular bed for me: now, as the whole palace is cut out of one solid rock, though Yaccom-bourse's apartment at the entrance is at a prodigious distance from the entrance to mine, yet my bed, and one in an inner apartment of hers, stand close together; the partition, indeed, is stone, but either from the thinness of it, or some flaw in it, I have not yet discovered, I can plainly hear every word that is spoken. And there it is, in their hours of dalliance, when they use this bed, that I hear what I have now told you."--"Say nothing of it," says I, "but leave the issue to me."