s
for an ignorance which is no greater than either his own or your
Majesty's."

"I wasn't reproaching you," said the Crown Prince, a little awkwardly,
"I was only telling you how differently things are managed where _we_
come from. But after all, that isn't the point, so we'll say no more
about it. Let's get back to the Gnomes. One of you--I think it was the
gentleman with the grey topknot--objected that there was no other useful
way of employing them, except in the mine. Well, of course, we've
thought all that out," he declared, though, as a matter of fact, the
idea had only just struck him. "We intend to set 'em to work at laying
out a golf links, and when they've done that, we shall keep 'em on as
caddies. They're such nippy little devils that they ought to be jolly
useful.... Ah, naturally, you _wouldn't_ know what Golf is. Well, Golf
happens to be a thing I _do_ know something about. I can teach you
_that_ right enough. It's simply the greatest game going, and you'll be
grateful to me for introducing it. Don't worry," he added, as some of
the Council expressed dissent, "nobody's asking you to learn unless you
like. I shouldn't say myself that any of you--except perhaps the
Marshal--was very likely to shape into a 'plus' man. I fancy _he's_ got
the makings of a golfer in him, though, and, once I've got the course
laid out and given him a lesson or two, I bet you'll see he'll be as
keen as mustard."

Before the Council broke up, the ex-Regent undertook that, as soon as
Clarence had selected the ground, the Gnomes should be removed from
their present quarters, and placed under the Crown Prince's directions.

"Never again, Sidney," declared the Queen afterwards, "will you and I
sit through one of those tiresome councils! We'll leave them to manage
their own silly business, and if there's anything that requires our
signatures, they can bring the papers to us, and we'll sign them in our
own rooms. If there should be any difficulty, we can always ask the
Marshal--he's so very sympathetic and helpful."

"Very," said the King, "oh, very--that is, I half fancied now and
then--but I believe he means us well. Yes, on the whole, my dear, I
think he's a person we can trust."

"You needn't _think_ about it, Sidney," she replied; "you can feel
absolutely _certain_ that there's _nothing_ that man wouldn't do for
us!"

CHAPTER VII

A GAME THEY DID NOT UNDERSTAND

With regard to the Royal visit to the Gold Mine, it