There sat the Lady Whimsical on the doorstep of her
rose-leaf dwelling, and in front of her stood the King.

"You are the most charming person I have ever seen," declared the King.

The Lady Whimsical smiled.

"I never thought I should find any one so charming as you are," said
the King.

The Lady Whimsical smiled again.

"Nor so silent," continued the King.

The Lady Whimsical smiled for the third time.

"Nor so--" began the King, and then he paused, for he thought she might
possibly object to being called foolish, though foolish she undoubtedly
was if she did not wish him to stay longer than five minutes. As he
hesitated, the Lady Whimsical burst out laughing and ran inside her
little house of rose leaves, and banged the door in his face.

"Time's up," said the dragon, and King Grumbelo went away puzzled. He
came back again, however, at the same time on the following morning;
and there sat Lady Whimsical on the doorstep of her rose-leaf dwelling,
just as though she were expecting him.

"I have thought only of you since yesterday morning," sighed King
Grumbelo.

The Lady Whimsical smiled as before.

"I shall think only of you for the rest of my days," declared the King.

The Lady Whimsical smiled even more than before.

"Do you know why I have come all this way to find you?" demanded the
King, growing bolder.

The Lady Whimsical shook her head at him, burst out laughing, and ran
inside her rose-leaf house as she had done the day before.

Two hours after sunrise on the following morning, the Lady Whimsical
was once more seated on her doorstep, and King Grumbelo was once more
standing in front of her.

"You are so beautiful that I shall never tire of looking at you," said
the King.

Again, the Lady Whimsical only smiled.

"You are so silent that you will always allow me to talk enough for
both of us," continued the King.

The Lady Whimsical smiled once more.

"And since you are so foolish as to send me away every morning," said
the King, "you must surely be foolish enough to be the Queen of so wise
a King as myself."

The Lady Whimsical had never laughed so heartily at anything as she did
at these words of King Grumbelo; and even after she had banged the door
in his face, he could still hear her laughter as it floated out from
the windows of the dainty little house of rose leaves. Now, all this
was very amusing for the Lady Whimsical, who was quite happy as long as
she had something to make