so they dismounted and sat down in the
shade by the well-side to rest.

It happened that an old goat and his wife were browsing in the
neighbourhood, and, as the king and queen sat there, the nanny goat
came to the well's brink and peering over saw some lovely green leaves
that sprang in tender shoots out of the side of the well.

'Oh!' cried she to her husband, 'come quickly and look. Here are some
leaves which make my mouth water; come and get them for me!'

Then the billy goat sauntered up and looked over, and after that he
eyed his wife a little crossly.

'You expect me to get you those leaves, do you? I suppose you don't
consider how in the world I am to reach them? You don't seem to think
at all; if you did you would know that if I tried to reach those
leaves I should fall into the well and be drowned!'

'Oh,' cried the nanny goat, 'why should you fall in? Do try and get
them!'

'I am not going to be so silly,' replied the billy goat.

But the nanny goat still wept and entreated.

'Look here,' said her husband, 'there are plenty of fools in the
world, but I am not one of them. This silly king here, because he
can't cure his wife of asking questions, is going to throw his life
away. But I know how to cure you of your follies, and I'm going to.'

And with that he butted the nanny goat so severely that in two minutes
she was submissively feeding somewhere else, and had made up her mind
that the leaves in the well were not worth having.

Then the king, who had understood every word, laughed once more.

The queen looked at him suspiciously, but the king got up and walked
across to where she sat.

'Are you still determined to find out what I was laughing at the other
day?' he asked.

'Quite,' answered the queen angrily.

'Because,' said the king, tapping his leg with his riding whip, 'I've
made up my mind not to tell you, and moreover, I have made up my mind
to stop you mentioning the subject any more.'

'What _do_ you mean?' asked the queen nervously.

'Well,' replied the king, 'I notice that if that goat is displeased
with his wife, he just butts her, and that seems to settle the
question----'

'Do you mean to say you would _beat_ me?' cried the queen.

'I should be extremely sorry to have to do so,' replied the king; 'but
I have got to persuade you to go home quietly, and to ask no more
silly questions when I say I cannot answer them. Of course, if you
_will_ persist, why----'

And the queen