ybody is going to be
turned into anything, it's much more likely to be you."

"Is that why you brought me with you?" asked Coronel.

I suppose that by this time they had finished their dressing. Roger
Scurvilegs tells us nothing on such important matters; no doubt from
modesty. "Next morning they rose," he says, and disappoints us of a
picture of Udo brushing his hair. They rose and went down to
breakfast.

The old woman was in a less cryptic mood at breakfast. She was
particularly hospitable to Udo, and from some secret store produced an
unending variety of good things for him to eat. To Coronel it almost
looked as if she were fattening him up for something, but this
suggestion was received with such bad grace by Udo that he did not
pursue the subject.

As soon as breakfast was over they started off again. From one of the
many bags of gold he carried, Udo had offered some acknowledgment to
the old woman, but she had refused to take it.

"Nay, nay," she said. "I shall be amply rewarded before the day is
out." And she seemed to be smiling to herself as if she knew of some
joke which the Prince and Coronel did not yet share.

"I like to-day," said Coronel as they rode along. "There's a smell of
adventure in the air. Red roofs, green trees, blue sky, white road--I
could fall in love to-day."

"Who with?" said Udo suspiciously.

"Any one--that old woman, if you like."

"Oh, don't talk of her," said the Prince with a shudder. "Coronel,
hadn't you a sense of being _out_ of some joke that she was in?"

"Perhaps we shall be in it before long. I could laugh very easily on
a morning like this."

"Oh, I can see a joke as well as any one," said Udo. "Don't be afraid
that I shan't laugh, too. No doubt it will make a good story,
whatever it is, to tell to the Princess Hyacinth. Coronel," he added
solemnly, the thought having evidently only just occurred to him, "I
am all impatience to help that poor girl in her trouble." And as if
to show his impatience, he suddenly gave the reins a shake and
cantered ahead of his companion. Smiling to himself, Coronel followed
at his leisure.

They halted at mid-day in a wood, and made a meal from some provisions
which the old woman had given them; and after they had eaten, Udo lay
down on a mossy bank and closed his eyes.

"I'm sleepy," he said; "I had a restless night. Let's stay here
awhile; after all, there's no hurry."

"Personally," said Coronel, "I'm all i