m, who had placed the maiden in green
upon a cushion at his feet, and was striving to comfort her by gently
stroking her silken hair with his rough hand.

"But I love my country, and do not wish to leave it," answered the
yellow High Ki. "And I love my twin sister, and regret that our minds
have become separated," she continued, sadly.

"I have it!" exclaimed Nerle. "Let the prince reunite you, making you
regular twins of Twi again, and then you can continue to rule the
country as the double High Ki, and everything will be as it was before."

The yellow High Ki clapped her pink hands with delight and looked
eagerly at the prince.

"Will you?" she asked. "Will you please reunite us? And then all our
troubles will be ended!"

This really seemed to Marvel the best thing to be done. So he led the
maid in green to the other throne, where she had once sat, and after
replacing the golden crown upon her brow he whispered a fairy spell of
much mystical power.

Then the prince stepped back and regarded the maidens earnestly, and
after a moment both the High Ki smiled upon him in unison and
said--speaking the same words in the same voices and with the same
accents:

"Thank you very much!"

20. Kwytoffle, the Tyrant

Having restored the High Ki to their former condition, to the great joy
of the ancient Ki, Prince Marvel led his friends back to the palaces
where his men were waiting.

They were just in time to prevent serious trouble, for the fifty-eight
reformed thieves had been boasting of their prowess to the huge giants
and tiny dwarfs of King Terribus, and this had resulted in a quarrel as
to which were the best fighters. Had not their masters arrived at the
right moment there would certainly have been a fierce battle and much
bloodshed,--and all over something of no importance.

Terribus and Wul-Takim soon restored order, and then they accompanied
the Ki and the Ki-Ki to the public square, where the people were
informed that their Supreme Highnesses, the High Ki, had been reunited
and would thereafter rule them with twin minds as well as twin bodies.
There was great rejoicing at this news, for every twin in Twi was glad
to have his troubles ended so easily and satisfactorily.

That night the ryls and knooks and other invisible friends of Prince
Marvel came and removed the dividing wall between the twin palaces of
the High Ki, repairing speedily all the damage that had been done. And
when our friends