en High Ki followed them, still
weeping disconsolately.

When they had all reached the throne-room, the High Ki seated herself
on one of the beautiful thrones and said:

"By some strange chance, which I am unable to explain, my twin and I
have become separated; so that instead of thinking and acting alike, we
are now individuals--as are all the strange men who have passed through
the hole in the hedge. And, being individuals, we can no longer agree,
nor can one of us lawfully rule over the Kingdom of Twi, where all the
subjects are twins, thinking and acting in unison."

Said Prince Marvel:

"Your Highness, I alone can explain why you became separated from your
twin. By means of a fairy enchantment, which I learned years ago, I
worked upon you a spell, which compelled your brain to work independent
of your sister's brain. It seems to me that it is better each person
should think her own thoughts and live her own life, rather than be
yoked to another person and obliged to think and act as a twin, or
one-half of a complete whole. And since you are now the one High Ki,
and the acknowledged ruler of this country, I will agree to work the
same fairy spell on all your people, so that no longer will there be
twin minds in all this Land of Twi."

"But all the cows and dogs and horses and other animals are double, as
well as the people," suggested the old Ki, blinking their little eyes
in amazement at the thought of being forever separated from each other.

"I can also work the spell upon all the twin animals," said the prince,
after a moment's hesitation.

"And all our houses are built double, with twin doors and windows and
chimneys, to accommodate our twin people," continued the High Ki. "And
the trees and flowers--and even the blades of grass--are all double.
And our roads are double, and--and everything else is double. I alone,
the ruler of this land, am singular!"

Prince Marvel became thoughtful now, for he did not know how to
separate trees and flowers, and it would be a tedious task to separate
the twin houses.

"Why not leave the country as it is?" asked King Terribus of Spor.
"The High Ki is welcome to come to my castle to live, and then she need
no longer bother about the Land of Twi, which seems to me a poor place,
after all."

"And your sister may come with me to my cave, and be the queen of the
reformed thieves, which is a much more important office than being High
Ki of Twi," added big Wul-Taki