She was quite alone, yet she feared; indeed, so deadly was her intent, she jumped at every noise, and upon hearing some sound without, slipped on tip-toe from the window to the door and listened, then cautiously drew the bolt and looked without.  The corridor seemed even more quiet than usual.  Her fears were subdued and as she turned about to close the door, a suction of air caught the curtain and swelled it through the open window, thereupon sweeping the cocoanut to the ground, where it fell at the very feet of his Majesty.  When Constance saw what the vile wantonness of the wind had done, she fell upon her knees in wild despair and tremblingly remained thus for an instant only, for a bit of hope sprang up.  She arose and quickly ran to the window,—­she hesitated, then, ever so slowly she peeped over the sill, and there stood the King with the nut in his hand.  “Ah!” she said, drawing back quickly, for they were not looking up, and she felt relief that they did not see her, but unfortunately for her, a lackey was standing some little distance from his Majesty and saw everything.

Of course treason was suspected.  It was thought the nut had been dropped to crush the King’s head; but upon examination ’twas found there oozed from a small opening curdled milk.  The Royal chemist was summoned, and in a moment all knew that the fruit was poisoned.  The lackey had already told the King from what window it fell.  Constance was cold with fright.  She forgot her love, ambition, revenge, her whole paraphernalia of desires, in this disaster.

Out she went into the corridor to ascertain, if possible, what was a-foot below stairs.  “Would they be able,” she thought, “to find from whence the nut came?” At the very idea she fled back to her chamber and gazed about in agony, for there lay every condemning thing in the floor, and where was she to hide them, for a search would certainly be made in a few moments.  A hiding-place must first be found for the nuts.  She looked at the bed; surely that would be searched.  She thought to sew them in the sleeves of her gowns, but that would look bulky and there was not time.  She flew about in wild anxiety.  She listened at the door to the sounds below, and, seeing a lackey, asked what the noise meant.  He said a cocoanut had been dropped and they were going to search for the one who did it.  Again her ladyship fled to her chamber and began to look behind chairs and screens and portable cabinets; but to no avail; she found no safe hiding.  At last, the great, high, nodding tester caught the glance of her anxious eye.  She hastily placed first a small table—­the only one she was able to carry—­then a chair upon the bed, and with the one upon the other was able to see the top of the tester.  But alas! it was cone-shape.  Invention, however, was not out of Constance’ line, and quickly she placed a box upon the pinnacle and in it five cocoanuts.  There were yet at least a half-dozen more to hide, beside the poison and instrument.  She thought to place these in one of her great hats and raise them to the tester also.  As she was about to mount the improvised lift, she heard approaching footsteps.  Hardly had she withdrawn the table and chair and placed the hat—­well bent—­beneath the low stool whereon she had been sitting, and arranged the folds of her heavy brocade like a valance about her, when the door was thrown open.