like a hen who has hatched a duckling, and
forbade him to build any more stone-houses.

The noble Duchess was just then weighed down with other cares. One of her
neighbors, a king, who had often been defeated in battle by her husband
and her husband's father, thought it an excellent opportunity, while the
duchy of the Greylocks was ruled only by a woman and her Councillors, to
invade the land, and win back some of the provinces which he had formerly
lost. Moustache, her Field-marshal, had led forth the army, and a battle
was now imminent, which like all other battles, must end either in
victory or defeat.

One day a messenger came from the camp, bringing a letter from the brave
marshal, who demanded more troops, saying that the enemy far out-numbered
him. Then the Prime Minister called the Great Council together, from
which, of course, the Duchess could not be absent, and during the time
that she presided over the Councillors' meeting, she lost sight of George
for the first time for many weeks.

The naughty boy was delighted. He slipped out of the castle, whence his
older brother would not move, on account of the bad weather, went down to
the shore of the lake, and finding that it was unusually rough, he,
together with the son of the head-gondolier, sprang into a small boat,
and drove it with powerful strokes out among the waves. The wind lifted
the brown curls of the boy, and whenever a large wave bore the skiff
aloft on its crest, he shouted with joy. Hitherto he had only been
allowed to go on the lake in a well manned, safe boat, and then the
sailors were under orders to keep to the southern half of the lake.
Consequently an excursion on the water had seemed but a mild amusement;
but to be his own master, and to fight thus untrammelled against the
winds and waves was pleasure such as he had never before experienced.

He had never yet visited the northern part of the lake, there where it
was so dark, and mysterious, and where--as old Nonna used to relate--evil
spirits dwelt, and a giant covered with pumice-stone was compelled by a
curse to live. Perhaps, if he could only get to the other shore, he might
see a ghost! That was a tempting prospect! So he turned the bow of the
boat towards the north, and bidding his companion to row hard, did the
same himself.

As they got further north, the waves increased in size, a storm arose and
blew fiercely in their faces; but the rougher the lake became, the gayer
and more b