for Giglio. Now let's go to
breakfast.'

The Captain of the Guard handed over his prisoner to the Sheriff, with
the fatal order,

'AT SIGHT CUT OFF THE BEARER'S HEAD. 'VALOROSO XXIV.'

'It's a mistake,' says Bulbo, who did not seem to understand the
business in the least.

'Poo--poo--pooh,' says the Sheriff. 'Fetch Jack Ketch instantly. Jack
Ketch!'

And poor Bulbo was led to the scaffold, where an executioner with a
block and a tremendous axe was always ready in case he should be wanted.

But we must now revert to Giglio and Betsinda.

XI. WHAT GRUFFANUFF DID TO GIGLIO AND BETSINDA

Gruffanuff, who had seen what had happened with the King, and knew that
Giglio must come to grief, got up very early the next morning, and went
to devise some plans for rescuing her darling husband, as the silly old
thing insisted on calling him. She found him walking up and down the
garden, thinking of a rhyme for Betsinda (TINDER and WINDA were all he
could find), and indeed having forgotten all about the past evening,
except that Betsinda was the most lovely of beings.

'Well, dear Giglio,' says Gruff.

'Well, dear Gruffy,' says Giglio, only HE was quite satirical.

'I have been thinking, darling, what you must do in this scrape. You
must fly the country for a while.'

'What scrape?--fly the country? Never without her I love, Countess,'
says Giglio.

'No, she will accompany you, dear Prince,' she says, in her most coaxing
accents. 'First, we must get the jewels belonging to our royal parents.
and those of her and his present Majesty. Here is the key, duck; they
are all yours, you know, by right, for you are the rightful King of
Paflagonia, and your wife will be the rightful Queen.'

'Will she?' says Giglio.

'Yes; and having got the jewels, go to Glumboso's apartment, where,
under his bed, you will find sacks containing money to the amount of
L2I7,000,000,987,439, 13S. 6 1/2d., all belonging to you, for he took
it out of your royal father's room on the day of his death. With this we
will fly.'

'WE will fly?' says Giglio.

'Yes, you and your bride--your affianced love--your Gruffy!' says the
Countess, with a languishing leer.

'YOU my bride!' says Giglio. 'You, you hideous old woman!'

'Oh, you--you wretch! didn't you give me this paper promising marriage?'
cries Gruff.

'Get away, you old goose! I love Betsinda, and Betsinda only!' And in a
fit of terror he ran from her as quickly as he could.

'He! he