reat-grandfather had them built by Lancashire men, yes,'
interrupted the King.

[Illustration: On the lower terrace the royal nurse was walking up and
down with the baby princess that all the fuss was about.]

'We'll send out the invitations to look like bills. The baker's boy can
take them. He's a very nice boy. He made baby laugh yesterday when I was
explaining to him about the Standard Bread. We'll just put "1 loaf 3. A
remittance at your earliest convenience will oblige." That'll mean that
1 person is invited for 3 o'clock, and on the back we'll write where and
why in invisible ink. Lemon juice, you know. And the baker's boy shall
be told to ask to see the people--just as they do when they _really_
mean earliest convenience--and then he shall just whisper: "Deadly
secret. Lemon juice. Hold it to the fire," and come away. Oh, dearest,
do say you approve!'

The King laid down his pipe, set his crown straight, and kissed the
Queen with great and serious earnestness.

'You are a wonder,' he said. 'It is the very thing. But the baker's boy
is very small. Can we trust him?'

'He is nine,' said the Queen, 'and I have sometimes thought that he must
be a prince in disguise. He is so very intelligent.'

The Queen's plan was carried out. The cellars, which were really
extraordinarily fine, were secretly decorated by the King's confidential
man and the Queen's confidential maid and a few of _their_ confidential
friends whom they knew they could really trust. You would never have
thought they were cellars when the decorations were finished. The walls
were hung with white satin and white velvet, with wreaths of white
roses, and the stone floors were covered with freshly cut turf with
white daisies, brisk and neat, growing in it.

The invitations were duly delivered by the baker's boy. On them was
written in plain blue ink,

'The Royal Bakeries
1 loaf 3d.
An early remittance will oblige.'

And when the people held the letter to the fire, as they were
whisperingly instructed to do by the baker's boy, they read in a faint
brown writing:--

'King Ozymandias and Queen Eliza invite you to the christening of their
daughter Princess Ozyliza at three on Wednesday in the Palace cellars.

'_P.S._--We are obliged to be very secret and careful because of wicked
fairies, so please come disguised as a tradesman with a bill, calling
for the last time before it leaves y