never yet made trial of you. But now I am about to try you all, that it
may be known who does in truth desire to serve me, and who is a servant
only in name. To morrow your trial will begin; so meet me here in the
morning, and be ready to set out upon a journey on which I shall send
you."

When the king had so spoken, he left them; and there was a great deal of
bustle and talking amongst these servants. Not that they were all alike.
Some were very busy, and said a great deal of the services they should
render; and that they hoped it would be some really hard trial on which
the king would set them. Others were quiet and thoughtful, saying little
or nothing, but, as it seemed, thinking silently of the words the king
had spoken, as if they feared lest they should fail in their trial. For
they loved that king greatly; he had been as a father to them all. Once
they had been slaves, and cruelly treated by a wicked tyrant who had
taken them prisoners, and cast some of them into dungeons, and made
others work in dark mines, and dealt evil with them all. But the king
had triumphed over this their enemy, and rescued them from his hands. His
own son had sought them in the dungeons and dark pits into which they had
been cast, and had brought them out; and now he had given them places in
his service, and fed them from his own kingly table; and he promised to
such as were faithful, that he would raise them yet higher; that he would
even set them upon thrones, and put crowns upon their heads; and that
they should remain always in his presence, and rule and dwell with him.
Now, when the time of their trial was come, these faithful servants were
grave and thoughtful, fearing lest they should fail, and be led to forget
him their kind and gracious king. But one thought held them up. He had
said unto them all, "As your day, so shall your strength be." They knew,
therefore, that he would put on them no task beyond their strength. They
remembered his kindness and his love in taking them out of the dungeons
of the enemy. They desired greatly to serve him; and so they rejoiced
that their trial was come, even while they feared it; and they trusted in
him to help them, even whilst they trembled for themselves.

These servants spent much of the night in preparing for their journey; in
thinking over all the directions the king had ever given them; for many
times had he spoken to them of this coming trial; and even written down
plain