es that he had never seen her
if she was not to be his!

His visit had one result. Old Baron von Eisenbaenden happened to observe
him leaving the tower, and it struck him as suspicious that so august a
personage as the Court Godmother should have any dealings with an
under-gardener. She must be using the fellow as her agent in some
intrigue or other, he concluded, and, as she had not chosen to confide
in him, it was clearly his duty to his Sovereigns to discover what she
was about.

His cap of darkness might be of service to him here, but since the
fiasco of the self-supplying tables he had been distrustful of any
article supplied by the Astrologer Royal. However, it seemed as though
the sudden decay of the tables had been due less to any malicious
revenge on Xuriel's part than to some imperfection in his magic--for the
cap proved to be as efficient as ever. So, after satisfying himself of
this, the worthy Baron put it on and prowled unseen about the Court
Godmother's tower. For some days his vigilance was unrewarded, but at
length he saw Girofle hurrying down a gallery that led to the Fairy's
door, and immediately gave chase. Unfortunately he arrived too late to
slip in behind him, and the thickness of the door made it impossible to
overhear anything of the conversation till the very end of the
interview. Then, as the door was open and the Court Godmother had
accompanied Girofle to the threshold, their parting words were perfectly
audible.

"You are setting me an impossible task, Godmother Voldoiseau!" he heard
the mysterious young under-gardener declare. "I am no nearer her than
when I came. And I never shall be till you restore me to my proper
self!"

"I shall do that when I see fit, Mirliflor," the Fairy replied, "and not
a moment before. You have only to be patient a little longer and all
will be well. I know her better than you can, remember, and, believe me,
you have no cause to despair."

"So you have told me before!" he said bitterly. "But I can't and won't
endure this much longer, and if you refuse to make it easier for me, I
shall give up and go back to Clairdelune!"

"My dear Mirliflor," she retorted, "you won't be such a fool!"

He left her at that without another word, but the Court Chamberlain had
heard enough to surprise him considerably. So this young gardener, it
seemed, was really Prince Mirliflor transformed! The Baron knew that
such a transformation was within the Fairy's powers, so, in spi