He ought to have said 'the jam
_turnover_'--not the 'jam _pasty_'!"

"Oh, come, my dear!" said her father. "That's splitting hairs, you know.
He was near enough. What's the difference?"

"None that _I_ can see," pronounced the Queen. "Both are pastry, and
both contain jam. Yes, Prince Mirliflor, you have won the dear child, as
I'm sure you richly deserved to!"

"How _can_ you say that, Mother?" cried Edna, scarlet with vexation.
"When his answer utterly missed the point? And, anyhow, it was given by
proxy, so it doesn't count!"

"H'm--ha!" said King Sydney, "that's rather a ticklish question! What do
_you_ think, my love?" and he consulted the Queen in undertones for a
minute or two. "Well," he announced presently, "her Majesty and myself
both consider that the Prince's answer should be adjudged correct, and
that its having been given by proxy is--ah--no disqualification
whatever. Still, to avoid all appearance of favouritism, we propose to
refer the case to the final decision of our Council."

"I say!" protested Clarence in a horrified whisper, "you're never going
to leave it to those old pumps?"

"It's quite safe, my boy," said the King. "_They_ won't give it against
him!"

So, after the Councillors had filed out to deliberate, Clarence devoted
himself to keeping up Mirliflor's spirits, though the latter could not
be induced to see that he had no cause for uneasiness.

But King Sidney had not been mistaken in his prediction; after a short
absence the Councillors filed in again and reported that they were
unanimously of opinion that Prince Mirliflor had succeeded.

"There, my dear," said the King to the Princess Royal, as soon as the
shouts of joy had quieted down, "you've got the Council's decision. Give
the Prince your hand, and let's have no more bother about it."

"I won't!" declared Edna, losing all self-control in her rage and
disappointment. "He hasn't won me fairly. I've been tricked into this,
and it's all the Court Godmother's doing!"

No accusation could well be more unjust, but it was difficult for the
Fairy to disprove it without declaring that she had done her utmost to
hinder the match--and this would have been impolitic just then.

"_My_ doing, forsooth!" she repeated. "If you really believe that, you
were never more mistaken in your life!"

"Oh no, I'm not mistaken!" said Edna. "It was _you_ who suggested my
asking the riddles--and you were the only person I told the answer. If
you did