nt's Wife had been turned from the
city, not a sound had been heard from within the walls.

Now it happened one morning, about this time, that the gates, to every
one's surprise, were thrown open, and a messenger, with a flag of truce,
came forth. The poor fellow looked hungry enough, indeed, yet the
Merchant's Wife roughly seized upon the famished creature, much to his
annoyance, and brought him to the general. Bill, hoping that he had come
with an offer from the King of Persia to surrender the city, joyfully
handed the young man a chair and a biscuit, and, before allowing him to
speak, insisted on his eating a bowl of hot porridge. When he had
hungrily demolished the food, Bill kindly invited him to deliver his
message, which, in a hesitating manner, he thus proceeded to do:--

'The King of Persia sends greetings to his dear old friend, the King of
Troy, and wishes to assure him that he bears no ill-will towards him. On
the contrary, his happiest moments are spent in recalling those far-off
times when, as young children, they played the livelong day together, in
good-will and friendliness. He also begs him, for a few minutes, to
allow his natural kindness to overcome his enmity, and send his old
friend, now faint with hunger, enough suet to make just a little pudding
for himself.'

Bill, a trifle disappointed, took the message to the King of Troy, who
seemed very much affected on hearing it.

[Illustration: THESE PARCELS WERE NOW LABELLED]

'Give the old fellow a cracknel,' roared he, 'and tell him that if he
surrenders the city at once, he can have as nice a snack of dinner as he
could wish.'

The messenger returned to the city with the message and the cracknel,
and Bill waited all through the day and night, but no word came from the
city.

After breakfast next morning, when, as Bill thought, the King of Persia
would be feeling hungry, he called to him the nine stout sons of Crispin
and Chloe and then summoned to him the Merchant's Wife and the Sicilian
Char-woman, and between them they managed to wrap up each of the brave
lads in brown paper, properly secured with strong string, making nine
very neat parcels. The general had previously instructed the brave
fellows how to act at the right moment, and in the meantime to remain
perfectly still. These parcels were now labelled severally lemon cheese
cake, fairy cakes, rock cakes, Jumbles, raspberry noyeau, mince pies,
Pontefract cakes and peppermint cushions, an