ays, and more fun; and all these things, as every one knows well,
are only to be had when there is a Queen at court. The King, however,
was so well satisfied with himself that it never occurred to him how
dreadfully dull his kingdom was growing; and he was exceedingly
surprised when a number of the courtiers, headed by the Royal
Comptroller of Whole Holidays and the learned Professor of Practical
Jokes,--who had been positively out of work ever since his serious
young Majesty came to the throne,--waited upon him one morning, with
the humble request that he should begin to think about finding a Queen.

"What more can you want?" asked the young King in astonishment.
"Surely a King, or at least a King such as I am, is enough for my
subjects! I am quite satisfied with myself: is it possible that the
country is not equally satisfied?"

"The country is more than satisfied with your excellent Majesty,"
explained the Comptroller of Whole Holidays. "The country has never
been so admirably governed before. It feels, however, that certain
other things are almost as important, your Majesty, as wise laws and
honest toil; such as--such as whole holidays, for instance."

"And practical jokes," murmured the learned Professor at his side.

His Majesty was silent. It seemed incredible that the country should
want anything more than the excellent government of King Grumbelo; but
he was fond of his people at heart,--in spite of the dulness to which
he had brought them, and so he consented in the end to give them a
Queen.

"Go and find me the most beautiful, the most silent, and the most
foolish Princess in the world," he said to them. "She must be the most
beautiful because I shall have to look at her, and the most silent
because I am able to talk for both of us, and the most foolish because
I can be wise for her as well as for myself. If you find me a Princess
like this I will make her my Queen."

Not long after, the King held a reception for all the beautiful
Princesses who could be collected at such a very short notice. There
were a hundred and fifty altogether; but although they were without
doubt both beautiful and foolish, they never stopped talking for an
instant, and not one of them would King Grumbelo have for his Queen.
So the Royal Comptroller of Whole Holidays and the learned Professor of
Practical Jokes put their heads together once more, and in a few days'
time they came again to the King.

"We have heard at l