while
behind the scenes the partner took all the leading strings into his
own hands.

* * * * *

The two marionettes opened their eyes, and saw daylight; they began
moving to and fro softly; every now and then they put their faces
together and kissed. The stupid odd man seemed to have gone; they were
so glad to be left alone.

Soon the little king lay down, pretending to be tired, but it was only
that he might put his head in the queen's lap. She bent over him, and
laid her fingers on his eyes, seeming to say, 'Go to sleep, then! I
will shut your eyes for you.' How pretty it was of her!

Then she covered his face over with her handkerchief; and all at once
in came the odd man, walking on the points of his toes. The little
king, now that the handkerchief was over his face, opened his eyes,
and looked through it, to see what his dear queen would be doing now.
The odd man had his arms round her neck, and was kissing her, and the
queen looked as if she were going to kiss him back; but all at once
she had pushed away the odd man so hard that he fell down with his
heels in the air; and then she snatched the handkerchief from the
king's face, and began trembling, and kissing him.

The whole of the court shouted, first with laughter at the odd man's
fall, and then with admiration at the wonderful acting of the little
queen.

Behind the scenes the partner began grumbling to Killian: 'They are
going all wrong! It's all your doing, leaving them to lie in the damp
grass last night!'

But still the whole court shouted and applauded. So the play went on;
and now, more and more, the showman had cause to grumble. Whenever he
came to a part where the play required that the queen should turn from
her own cow-herd to the ugly odd man, everything went wrong. 'Very
well,' thought he at last, 'she may be as innocent as Desdemona but it
will all come to the same at the last!'

And so, still more, as the play went on, the little marionettes
trembled and shook with fear. They wished the silly odd man would go
away, and not come interrupting their prayers; and all the while they
loved each other so! No idea of jealousy ever entered the little
king's head; and as for the queen, if the odd man came and put his
arms round her neck and kissed her, could she help it? All she could
do was to run and put her arms round her own lover when he reappeared;
and how the court shouted and applauded, when she went so