ere, but I nerved myself to it. Poor
soul, he slept like a lamb through it all. I wonder what he'll say
when he wakes up."

"Did you bring them back with you?" asked the Chancellor excitedly.

"My dear Chancellor, what a question!" He produced them from his
pocket. "In the morning we'll run them up on the flagstaff for all
Barodia to see."

"He won't like that," said the Chancellor, chuckling.

"I don't quite see what he can do about it," said Merriwig.

* * * * *

The King of Barodia didn't quite see either.

A fit of sneezing woke him up that morning, and at the same moment he
felt a curious draught about his cheeks. He put his hand up and
immediately knew the worst.

"Hullo, there!" he bellowed to the sentry outside the door.

"Your Majesty," said the sentry, coming in with alacrity.

[Illustration: _The tent seemed to swim before his eyes, and he knew
no more_]

The King bobbed down again at once.

"Send the Chancellor to me," said an angry voice from under the
bedclothes.

When the Chancellor came in it was to see the back only of his august
monarch.

"Chancellor," said the King, "prepare yourself for a shock."

"Yes, sir," said the Chancellor, trembling exceedingly.

"You are about to see something which no man in the history of Barodia
has ever seen before."

The Chancellor, not having the least idea what to expect, waited
nervously. The next moment the tent seemed to swim before his eyes,
and he knew no more. . . .

When he came to, the King was pouring a jug of water down his neck and
murmuring rough words of comfort in his ear.

"Oh, your Majesty," said the poor Chancellor, "your Majesty! I don't
know what to say, your Majesty." He mopped at himself as he spoke,
and the water trickled from him on to the floor.

"Pull yourself together," said the King sternly. "We shall want all
your wisdom, which is notoriously not much, to help us in this
crisis."

"Your Majesty, who has dared to do this grievous thing?"

"You fool, how should I know? Do you think they did it while I was
awake?"

The Chancellor stiffened a little. He was accustomed to being called
a fool; but that was by a man with a terrifying pair of ginger
whiskers. From the rather fat and uninspiring face in front of him he
was inclined to resent it.

"What does your Majesty propose to do?" he asked shortly.

"I propose to do the following. Upon you rests the chief burden."

The Chancellor did not look