they would have
been none the wiser if they had come by sky as Martin had wished. Then
the townspeople came out of their houses and stared with amazement, as
they saw their King's daughter and their Prime Minister's son racing
past them on wooden horses; but they had no time, either, to make
remarks on the matter before the children were out of sight again, for
the wooden horses never stopped until they brought their riders to the
palace gates; and then they disappeared and left Martin and the
Princess Petulant knocking for admission.

Then there was a hullabaloo! The Queen dried her tears and hugged them
both, one after another; and the King dismissed the council which had
not helped him in the least; and the Prime Minister was more convinced
than ever that his son would never be Prime Minister; and the two
children span their tops before the whole court and told the story of
their adventures. And it was at once written down, word for word, by
the Royal Historian, and that is how it has got inside this book.

The two children never visited the Wonderful Toymaker again; and Martin
never became Prime Minister. One day he became King instead; and it
was all because he married the Princess Petulant the moment he was
grown up. They thoroughly enjoyed life for the rest of their days, and
so did everybody else in the kingdom, down to the Prime Minister and
the Royal Historian; and this was all because they never lost the
wonderful tops which had been given them by the Wonderful Toymaker.

[Illustration: HE CURLED HIMSELF UP IN THE SUN AND CLOSED HIS EYES]

The Professor of Practical Jokes

Years and years and years ago, in a country that has been long
forgotten, there lived a king called Grumbelo. In spite of his
extremely ugly name, which was certainly no fault of his, he was young,
handsome, and talented; and this made it all the more remarkable that
he had never thought of seeking a wife. He ruled his country so well
that not a single poor or ill-treated person was to be found in the
whole of it; and yet, it was the dullest country that has ever existed.
The reason for this was plain; the King was all very well in his way,
and to be well-governed no doubt has its advantages, but the people
were unreasonable and they wanted more than this. They wanted court
balls, and court banquets, and royal processions through the streets,
with bands playing and flags flying; they wanted more play, and more
holid