e. There is no doubt that the discontent of the people would
have ended in a revolution if the Professor of Practical Jokes had not
hit upon a happy idea. "It is true that we cannot have a royal
wedding," said the Professor of Practical Jokes; "but we can pretend to
have one."

The Comptroller of Whole Holidays was only too delighted to fall in
with the idea, and at once issued a proclamation to the effect that the
country should take a whole holiday until further notice. After that,
the people could not think of grumbling; they gave themselves up to
general rejoicing, and pretended, day after day, that the King was
being married, until they almost forgot that there was not even a king
in the country.

Meanwhile, King Grumbelo was riding by night and by day in search of
his beautiful, silent Princess. He rode for many months without
discovering a trace of her; but instead of growing tired of his search
he only became the more anxious to find her. One day, as he was riding
through a wood, he came upon a sweet-smelling hedge, all made of
honeysuckle and sweet-briar, so high that he could not climb it, and so
thick that he could not see through it.

"Dear me!" thought King Grumbelo, "something charming must be hidden
behind so pretty a hedge as this!" He rode along it with his mind full
of curiosity until he came to two slender, pink-and-white gates, made
entirely of apple-blossom; and through these he could see a
fresh-looking garden with green lawns and gravel paths and bright
flower-beds, and in the middle of it all a dainty little house made of
nothing but rose leaves. The King was so impatient to know who was the
owner of such a delightful little dwelling that he knocked at once on
the gates for admission; and a dragon with a singularly mild and
harmless expression appeared inside, and asked him gently what he
wanted. The King looked at him in surprise; for, although he was
decidedly small for a dragon, he was certainly much too large and too
clumsy to live in a house made entirely of rose leaves.

"Can you tell me who lives here?" asked King Grumbelo, politely; for,
as every one knows, it is always wise to be polite to a dragon however
small he may be.

"Oh, yes," answered the dragon, with a wave of his tail towards the
house and the garden; "I live here."

"Nonsense!" said the King, forgetting in his surprise to be polite.
"You could not possibly live in so small a house as that!"

"If you want to k