consort'--meaning _me_--'will take our places by thy side, and _I_ shall
wish us in Gluckstein, at thy master's! When the experiment has failed,
thy head shall from thy shoulders be shorn!' So your man merely said,
'Very well, mum,--your majesty, I mean,' and sat down. The queen took
her place at the edge of the carpet; I sat between her and the butler,
and she said, 'I wish we were in Gluckstein!' Then we rose, flew through
the air at an astonishing pace, and here we are! So I suppose the rest
of the butler's tale is true, which I regret; but a king's word is
sacred, and he shall take the place of that sneak, Prigio. But as we
left home before dinner, and as _yours_ is over, may I request your
lordship to believe that I should be delighted to take something cold?"

The ambassador at once ordered a sumptuous collation, to which the king
did full justice; and his majesty was shown to the royal chamber, as he
complained of fatigue. The queen accompanied him, remarking that she was
sound asleep, but would waken presently. Neither of them said
"Good-night" to the prince. Indeed, they did not see him again, for he
was on the balcony with Lady Rosalind. They found a great deal to say to
each other, and at last the prince asked her to be his wife; and she said
that if the king and her father gave their permission--why, then she
would! After this she went to bed; and the prince, who had not slept at
all the night before, felt very sleepy also. But he knew that first he
had something that must be done. So he went into the drawing-room, took
his carpet, and wished to be--now, where do you suppose? Beside the dead
body of the Firedrake! There he was in a moment; and dreadful the body
looked, lying stark and cold in the white moonshine. Then the prince cut
off its four hoofs, put them in his wallet, and with these he flew back
in a second, and met the ambassador just as he came from ushering the
king to bed. Then the prince was shown his own room, where he locked up
the hoofs, the carpet, the cap of darkness, and his other things in an
iron box; and so he went to bed and dreamed of his Lady Rosalind.

CHAPTER XV.

_The King's Cheque_.

When they all wakened next morning, their first ideas were confused. It
is often confusing to waken in a strange bed, much more so when you have
flown through the air, like the king, the queen, and Benson the butler.
For her part, the queen was the most perplexed of all;