caused her the greatest
pleasure; moreover, her heart was rejoiced that she had had an
opportunity of seeing that her future husband was brave, as well as
rich and great; for it would be difficult to find any woman in all the
world capable of loving a poltroon. And now that she had proof of the
bravery of King Daucus Carota the First, it struck her painfully, for
the first time, that Herr Amandus von Nebelstern had cried off from
fighting him. If she had for a moment hesitated about sacrificing Herr
Amandus to King Daucus, she was quite decided on the point now that she
had an opportunity of assuring herself of all the excellencies of her
future lord. She sat down and wrote the following letter:--

"MY DEAR AMANDUS,

"Everything in this world is liable to change. Everything passes away,
as the schoolmaster says, and he's quite right. I'm sure _you_, my dear
Amandus, are such a learned and wise student that you will agree with
the schoolmaster, and not be in the very least surprised that my heart
and mind have undergone the least little bit of a change. You may quite
believe me when I say that I still like you very well, and I can quite
imagine how nice you look in your red velvet cap with the gold tassel.
But, with regard to marriage, you know very well, Amandus dear, that,
clever as you are, and beautiful as are your verses, you will never, in
all your days, be a king, and (don't be frightened, dear) little Herr
von Cordovanspitz isn't Herr von Cordovanspitz at all, but a great
king, Daucus Carota the First, who reigns over the great vegetable
kingdom, and has chosen me to be his queen. Since my dear king has
thrown aside his incognito he has grown much nicer-looking, and I see
now that papa was quite right when he said that the head was the beauty
of the man, and therefore couldn't possibly be big enough. And then,
Daucus Carota the First (you see how well I remember the beautiful name
and how nicely I write it now that has got so familiar to me), I was
going to say that my little royal husband, that is to be, has such
charming and delightful manners that there's no describing them. And
what courage, what bravery there is in him! Before my eyes he put to
flight the Duke of Radish, (and a very disagreeable, unfriendly
creature _he_ appears to be) and hey, how he did jump after him out of
the window! You should just have seen him: I only wish you had! And I
don't really think that my Daucus Carota would care about thos