THE UNKNOWN MR. KENT
obnoxious to His Majesty, the king, and also to me, the chancellor. Needless to say the correspondence I sent him proving the sale of the mining concession, was signed by yourself. Unmistakably so."
Kent's eyes opened with genuine astonishment. This was a more adroit invention than he had credited Provarsk with being able to devise. He had written to Rhodes and!
"You forged my name to those letters, eh?" he asked hotly. "Well, before I'm through with you I'll"
"Do nothing! You can't; you are helpless. I've got you, this time, my smart Yankee friend, and got you in such a way that you can't escape. When I kick you out of Marken, you can take your choice; be tried by John Rhodes as a defaulter and convicted on my evidence that the letters are genuine, or put as much distance as you can between yourself and your employer. That is immaterial to me, either way."
"But—but the king ! He will not submit to it!" declared Kent, on the defensive.
"The king? Poof! The king will do as I say, after this; otherwise, I'll send him trailing along after you in short order."
Kent's face was impassive.
"Take him to his room and let him think it over," ordered Provarsk, with a grin. "Good-
