ould allow, the sad story.

Rubbing his eyes, Tur-il-i-ra perceived that it was nearly day, and
concluded to commence operations. He placed Ting-a-ling on his
shirt-frill, where he could see what was going on, and, taking about
eleven strides, he came to where poor Nerralina was jumping about, and,
picking her up, put her carefully into his coat-tail pocket. Then, with
the cheese in his hand, he walked slowly toward the palace.

When he arrived there, he found the people running about, and crowding
around the ruins of the Tower of Tears. He passed on, however, to the
great Audience Chamber, and, looking in, saw the King sitting upon his
throne behind a velvet-covered table, holding an early morning council,
and receiving the reports of his officers concerning the damage. As this
Hall, and the doors thereof, were of great size, the Giant walked in,
stooping a little as he entered.

He marched right up to the King, and held the cheese down before him.

"Here, your Majesty, is your daughter, and the young Prince, her lover.
Does your Majesty recognize them?"

"Well, I declare!" cried the King. "If that isn't my great cheese, that
I had put in the vault-flue to harden! And my daughter and that young
man in it! What does this mean? What have you been doing, Giant?"

Then Tur-il-i-ra related the substance of the whole affair in a very
brief manner, and concluded by saying that he hoped to see them made man
and wife, as he considered them under his protection, and intended to
see them safely through this affair. And he held them up so that all the
people who thronged into the Hall could see.

The people all laughed, but the King cried "Silence!" and said to the
Giant, "If the young man is of as good blood as my daughter, I have no
desire to separate them. In fact, I don't think I am separating them. I
think it's the cheese!"

"Come! come!" said the Giant, turning very red in the face, "none of
your trifling, or I'll knock your house down over your eyes!"

And, putting the cheese down close to the table, he broke it in half,
letting the lovers drop out on the velvet covering, when they
immediately rushed into each other's arms, and remained thus clasped for
a length of time.

They then slowly relinquished their hold upon each other, and were
exchanging looks of supreme tenderness, when the Prince, happening to
glance at his feet, sprang back so that he almost fell off the long
table, and shouted,--

"Blood! Fire! T