"How on earth should _we_ know?" said I. "Well, you must admit that he probably has some, or he wouldn't be dangling around here so long," replied the Imp. "Why shouldn't he tell Louis what he has to tell, and then go away or take Louis away, as the case may be?" "What do _you_ think, Bobs?" asked Carol. "I'll warrant you have worked it all out." "If I tell you what I think, you'll tell _me_ I'm a lunatic," declared the Imp. "It does sound rather crazy, and yet why shouldn't it be so?" "Why shouldn't _what_ be so?" I cried. "You haven't even told us yet." "Well, here's my notion," she said. "Suppose--well, just suppose that somebody wanted to overthrow the present government of France. Wouldn't this be a lovely chance?" We were struck dumb with amazement by this astounding proposition. "I guess you _are_ a lunatic!" I said. "But even lunatics ought to have a chance to explain themselves. Go on." "Oh, I know it sounds foolish," returned the Imp, "but, after all, is it any more foolish than the possibility that our Louis may be a descendant of a king of France? Just think what that means. Suppose there are a lot of discontented descendants of royalists in France, who are dissatisfied with the present form of government. And suppose that they hear there _is_ a direct descendant of Louis XVI now living. Wouldn't it be a lovely chance to get up a secret insurrection in his favor and so restore him to the throne? It wouldn't be the first time that a republic has been overthrown in that country, if you remember. And if this Monsieur happens to be a Bourbon relation, he'd be all the more interested." Just then Carol gave a gasp, and cried out: "Yes, and do you remember the way that first cablegram commenced? 'Time almost ripe'! I always did think that was queer." "Exactly what I said," continued the Imp. "And what do you suppose Monsieur is twiddling his thumbs around Paradise Green for? Just because Louis isn't falling in with his plans as nicely as he'd hoped. I'll warrant Monsieur has been horribly disappointed from the first, because Louis was so thoroughly _American_ and didn't take a scrap of interest in his French affairs. He sees plainly that Louis isn't going to be easy to handle. And if _Louis_ won't stand for this restoration business, then 'the fat's in the fire.' _That's_ what's bothering Monsieur. And he's waiting around to see if he can't win Louis over unconsciously somehow. At least, that's how I've figured it out." We couldn't help but agree with her, and wondered that we'd never thought of it by ourselves. Besides, the more we thought of it, the more we remembered dozens of little incidents that seem to confirm it. If we all weren't so busy pegging away at our exams, and so had more time to think about this, I feel sure that we could come to some definite conclusion about it, but as matters stand, I, for one, am too bewildered to know what to think. And Louis goes about as happy as a lark, unconscious of it all!