me, anybody might pat them.

While Giglio knelt (most gracefully) and helped the Princess, Bulbo,
for his part, rushed up and kissed the lion. He flung his arms round the
forest monarch; he hugged him, and laughed and cried for joy. 'Oh, you
darling old beast, oh, how glad I am to see you, and the dear, dear
Bets--that is, Rosalba.'

'What, is it you? poor Bulbo!' said the Queen.' Oh, how glad I am to see
you,' and she gave him her hand to kiss. King Giglio slapped him most
kindly on the back, and said, 'Bulbo, my boy, I am delighted, for your
sake, that Her Majesty has arrived.'

'So am I,' said Bulbo; 'and YOU KNOW WHY.' Captain Hedzoff here came up.
'Sire, it is half-past eight: shall we proceed with the execution?'

'Execution! what for?' asked Bulbo.

'An officer only knows his orders,' replied Captain Hedzoff, showing his
warrant, on which His Majesty King Giglio smilingly said, 'Prince Bulbo
was reprieved this time,' and most graciously invited him to breakfast.

XVII. HOW A TREMENDOUS BATTLE TOOK PLACE, AND WHO WON IT

As soon as King Padella heard, what we know already, that his victim,
the lovely Rosalba, had escaped him, His Majesty's fury knew no bounds,
and he pitched the Lord Chancellor, Lord Chamberlain, and every officer
of the Crown whom he could set eyes on, into the cauldron of boiling oil
prepared for the Princess. Then he ordered out his whole army, horse,
foot, and artillery; and set forth at the head of an innumerable host,
and I should think twenty thousand drummers, trumpeters, and fifers.

King Giglio's advance guard, you may be sure, kept that monarch
acquainted with the enemy's dealings, and he was in nowise disconcerted.
He was much too polite to alarm the Princess, his lovely guest, with
any unnecessary rumours of battles impending; on the contrary, he did
everything to amuse and divert her; gave her a most elegant breakfast,
dinner, lunch, and got up a ball for her that evening, when he danced
with her every single dance.

Poor Bulbo was taken into favour again, and allowed to go quite free
now. He had new clothes given him, was called 'My good cousin' by His
Majesty, and was treated with the greatest distinction by everybody.
But it was easy to see he was very melancholy. The fact is, the sight of
Betsinda, who looked perfectly lovely in an elegant new dress, set
poor Bulbo frantic in love with her again. And he never thought about
Angelica, now Princess Bulbo, whom he had