" said the King; "and in
fact--but I can't decide one way or the other till I know what your
Mother thinks of it."

Queen Selina took an unexpectedly broad-minded view of the scheme as
soon as she fully understood its advantages.

"Of course," she said, "nothing would induce me to encourage any
enterprise that was based on Sorcery. But the Astrologer Royal is far
too respectable a little man to have anything to do with _that_. And
these tables would be such a boon to so many hundreds! We cannot leave
that out of consideration. The dear people will be so grateful to us for
allowing them to be placed within the reach of the humblest. I daresay
Mr. Xuriel would supply them on the hire system. And as for there being
any Magic about the process--if there _is_, it's quite harmless, and
it's much more probable that it can be accounted for by purely natural
causes which unscientific persons like ourselves can't be expected to
understand. After all, who really _knows_?"

"And who really _cares_?" added Clarence, "so long as the tables sell.
It's lucky the Guv'nor and I have had a business training. We shall be
able to check Master Xuriel's accounts--he'll do us in the eye if he
can, I'll bet. We'd better start it as a private company. The Patent
Self-supplying Tables Co., Limited. Under Royal Patronage, what?"

"I cannot have any in the Palace," objected the Queen. "The _chefs_
would make such a fuss if I did. And another thing, Clarence--it mustn't
on any account be known that _we_ take a share of the profits. A Royal
Family has to be so very careful that its actions are not
misinterpreted."

"We'll be sleeping partners, Mater," said the Crown Prince, "and I don't
fancy Master Xuriel will be such a fool as to give us away. So far as
the Public'll know, we're interested in the venture on strictly
philanthropic principles."

"And that will be quite true," added Queen Selina, "for I can
conscientiously say that I wouldn't be connected with it if I didn't
feel it was for the general advantage."

Thus was the "Patent Self-supplying Tables Co., Ltd.," founded. A large
disused granary in the City was adapted as an Emporium, and the
Astrologer Royal, after working day and night for a week, filled it with
an extensive stock of dining-tables which were graduated to suit the
needs of every class of purchaser.

As Clarence had predicted, they met with a ready sale, for, although
Maerchenlanders had a tradition of the existence of