at last?"

"Yes," said the beggar, "I have."

"Long have I waited for you," said the lady; "long have I waited for the
hero who would dare without fear to come through the two gates of death
to marry me and to rule as king over this country, and now at last you
are here."

"Yes," said the beggar, "I am."

Meanwhile, while all these things were happening, the king of that other
country had painted out the words his father had written on the walls,
and had had these words painted in in their stead:

"All Things are as Man does."

For a while he was very well satisfied with them, until, a week after,
he was bidden to the wedding of the Queen of the Golden Mountains; for
when he came there who should the bridegroom be but the beggar whom he
had set adrift in the wooden box a week or so before.

The bridegroom winked at him, but said never a word, good or ill, for he
was willing to let all that had happened be past and gone. But the king
saw how matters stood as clear as daylight, and when he got back home
again he had the new words that stood on the walls of the room painted
out, and had the old ones painted in in bigger letters than ever:

"All Things are as Fate wills."

All the good people who were gathered around the table of the Sign of
Mother Goose sat thinking for a while over the story. As for Boots, he
buried his face in the quart pot and took a long, long pull at the ale.

"Methinks," said the Soldier who cheated the Devil, presently breaking
silence--"methinks there be very few of the women folk who do their
share of this story-telling. So far we have had but one, and that is
Lady Cinderella. I see another one present, and I drink to her health."

He winked his eye at Patient Grizzle, beckoning towards her with his
quart pot, and took a long and hearty pull. Then he banged his mug down
upon the table. "Fetch me another glass, lass," said he to little Brown
Betty. "Meantime, fair lady"--this he said to Patient Grizzle--"will you
not entertain us with some story of your own?"

"I know not," said Patient Grizzle, "that I can tell you any story worth
your hearing."

"Aye, aye, but you can," said the Soldier who cheated the Devil; "and,
moreover, anything coming from betwixt such red lips and such white
teeth will be worth the listening to."

Patient Grizzle smiled, and the brave little Tailor, and the Lad who
fiddled for the Jew, and Hans and Bidpai and Boots nodded approval.

"Aye," said Ali Baba