She finished her little speech: "I feared that if I carried out my own wish, it might look arrogant, but Rupert has expressed the same wish, and now I feel that I am free to wear that dress which brought me to you and to Rupert"-- here she beamed on him, and took his hand--"fortified as I am by your wishes and the command of my lord the King." Rupert took her in his arms and kissed her fondly before them all, saying: "Tell your wives, my brothers, and the rest of the Blue Mountain women, that that is the answer of the husband who loves and honours his wife.
All the world shall see at the ceremony of the Federation of Balka that we men love and honour the women who are loyal and can die for duty.
And, men of the Blue Mountains, some day before long we shall organize that great idea, and make it a permanent thing--that the Order of the Shroud is the highest guerdon that a noble-hearted woman can wear." Teuta disappeared for a few moments, and came back with the Crown Prince in her arms.

Everyone present asked to be allowed to kiss him, which they did kneeling.
THE FEDERATION BALKA.
_By the Correspondents of_ "_Free America_." The Editors of _Free America_ have thought it well to put in consecutive order the reports and descriptions of their Special Correspondents, of whom there were present no less than eight.

Not a word they wrote is omitted, but the various parts of their reports are placed in different order, so that, whilst nothing which any of them recorded is left out, the reader may be able to follow the proceedings from the various points of view of the writers who had the most favourable opportunity of moment.
In so large an assemblage of journalists--there were present over a thousand--they could not all be present in one place; so our men, in consultation amongst themselves, arranged to scatter, so as to cover the whole proceeding from the various "coigns of vantage," using their skill and experience in selecting these points.

One was situated on the summit of the steel-clad tower in the entrance to the Blue Mouth; another on the "Press-boat," which was moored alongside King Rupert's armoured yacht, _The Lady_, whereon were gathered the various Kings and rulers of the Balkan States, all of whom were in the Federation; another was in a swift torpedo-boat, with a roving commission to cruise round the harbour as desired; another took his place on the top of the great mountain which overlooks Plazac, and so had a bird's-eye view of the whole scene of operations; two others were on the forts to right and left of the Blue Mouth; another was posted at the entrance to the Great Tunnel which runs from the water level right up through the mountains to the plateau, where the mines and factories are situate; another had the privilege of a place on an aeroplane, which went everywhere and saw everything.

This aeroplane was driven by an old Special Correspondent of _Free America_, who had been a chum of our Special in the Japanese and Russian War, and who has taken service on the Blue Mountain _Official Gazette_.
PLAZAC, _June_ 30, 1909.
Two days before the time appointed for the ceremony the guests of the Land of the Blue Mountains began to arrive.