ce.
For a few days life in the palace was exciting, full of surprises
and occasions for laughter. For a few days more it was a very
well-arranged picnic, rather less exciting than it had been, with
meals which could be confidently reckoned on and many minor comforts.
At the end of a fortnight it had settled down into something like the
smooth routine of a well-managed English country house.

But the Queen, even when things in the palace were well ordered, did
not find the island dull. She explored it all. With Kalliope as guide
she climbed rocks, descended into lonely coves, walked through fields
and vineyards, wandered over the pasture land of the upper plateau.
She rowed, taking turns at the oars with Kalliope, into many caves and
found fascinating landing-places among the rocks. One fine day she
sailed all round her kingdom in the largest of the island boats,
manned and steered by Kalliope's lover.

She did not forget that she was a queen. She learnt the names of all
her subjects. She made plans for many improvements. Roads should be
built, houses rebuilt, water should run about in pipes and women turn
taps instead of carrying great pitchers on their heads. Motor
tractors, instead of small bullocks, should drag the island ploughs.
Motor engines should drive the fishing boats. Every evening, Kalliope
sitting by her, the Queen drew maps, designed cottages, and made long
lists of things which the _Ida_ should, in due time, fetch from
England.

She started a school in the great hall of the palace. Smith explained
to Stephanos the Elder what was wanted and he undertook the duties of
attendance officer. The Queen's idea was to encourage the children
with gifts of chocolates. Stephanos, who must have had the mind of a
Progressive, established a system of compulsory education. The Queen
spoke very few words of the children's language, and Kalliope, who
acted as assistant mistress, did not know much English. But the laws
of arithmetic, so the Queen felt, must be of universal application,
two and two making four, by whatever names you called them. And the
Alphabet must be a useful thing to learn whatever words you spell with
it afterwards. So the Queen drew Arabic numerals on large sheets of
paper and tried to impress on a giggling group of children that the
figures corresponded in some way to little piles of pebbles which she
arranged on the floor. She succeeded in teaching them that K, written
very large, and held up for