other times he allows her to take orders from the
Countess; I ask you to imagine a maid-of-honour taking orders from any
but her own mistress. Conceive her dignity!

A little friend, then, of Hyacinth's, let us say; ready to do anything
for anybody who loved, or appeared to love, her mistress.

The King had departed for the wars. His magic sword girded to his
side, his cloak of darkness, not worn but rolled up behind him, lest
the absence of his usual extensive shadow should disturb his horse, he
rode at the head of his men to meet the enemy. Hyacinth had seen him
off from the Palace steps. Five times he had come back to give her
his last instructions, and a sixth time for his sword, but now he was
gone, and she was alone on the castle walls with Wiggs.

"Saying good-bye to fathers is very tiring," said Hyacinth. "I do
hope he'll be all right. Wiggs, although we oughtn't to mention it to
anybody, and although he's only just gone, we do think it will be
rather fun being Queen, don't we?"

"It must be lovely," said Wiggs, gazing at her with large eyes. "Can
you really do whatever you like now?"

Hyacinth nodded.

"I always _did_ whatever I liked," she said, "But now I really _can_
do it."

"Could you cut anybody's head off?"

"Easily," said the Princess confidently.

"I should hate to cut anybody's head off."

"So should I, Wiggs. Let's decide to have no heads off just at
present--till we're more used to it."

Wiggs still kept her eyes fixed upon the Princess.

"Which is stronger," she asked, "you or a Fairy?"

"I knew you were going to ask something horrid like that," said
Hyacinth, pretending to be angry. She looked quickly round to see
that nobody was listening, and then whispered in Wiggs's ear, "I am."

"O--oh!" said Wiggs. "How lovely!"

"Isn't it? Did you ever hear the story of Father and the Fairy?"

"His Majesty?"

"His Majesty the King of Euralia. It happened in the forest one day
just after he became King."

Did _you_ ever hear the story? I expect not. Well, then, you must
hear it. But there will be too many inverted commas in it if I let
Hyacinth tell you, so I shall tell you myself.

[Illustration: _Five times he had come back to give her his last
instructions_]

It was just after he became King. He was so proud that he used to go
about saying, "I am the King. I am the King." And sometimes, "The
King am I. The King I am." He was saying this one day in the forest
w