greed who should have him, they would ask
their father to force the man to marry.

While they quarreled in one room of the palace, Ghip-Ghisizzle was in
danger of being patched in another room; but the Six Snubnosed
Princesses did not know that. The arrival of the Pinkies gave them
something new to talk about, so they hurried downstairs and along the
corridors so as to gain the courtyard and take part in the exciting
scenes. But as they passed the closed doors of the Room of the Great
Knife, they heard a low moan and stopped to listen. The moan was
repeated, and being curious, they unlocked the door--the key having
been left on the outside--and entered the room.

At once, the Pinkies were forgotten, for there upon the floor, tightly
bound, lay Ghip-Ghisizzle, and beside him poor Tiggle, who had uttered
the moans.

The six Princesses sat down in a circle facing the captives, and
Cerulia said, "Ghip, my dear, we will release you on one condition:
That you choose a wife from among us and promise to marry the one
selected as soon as the Pinkies are driven back into the Fog Bank."

Ghip-Ghisizzle managed to shake his head. Then he said, "Really,
ladies, you must excuse me. I'd rather be patched than mismatched, as I
would be with a lovely, snub-nosed wife. You are too beautiful for me;
go seek your husbands elsewhere."

"Monster!" cried Indigo. "If you choose me, I'll scratch your eyes out!"

"If you choose me," said Cobalt in a rage, "I'll tear out your hair by
the roots!"

"If I am to be your wife," screamed Azure, "I'll mark your obstinate
face with my fingernails!"

"And I," said Turquoise passionately, "will pound your head with a
broomstick!"

"I'll shake him till his teeth rattle!" shrieked Sapphire.

"The best way to manage a husband," observed Cerulia angrily, "is to
pull his nose."

"Ladies," said Ghip-Ghisizzle when he had a chance to speak, "do not
anticipate these pleasures, I beg of you, for I shall choose none among
you for a wife."

"We'll see about that," said Indigo.

"I think you will soon change your mind," added Azure.

"I'm going to be patched to Tingle, here, as soon as the Boolooroo
returns," said Ghip-Ghisizzle, "and it's against the law for a patched
man to marry anyone. It's regarded as half-bigamy."

"Dear me!" cried Cerulia. "If he's patched, he never can be Boolooroo."

"Then he musn't be patched," declared Sapphire. "We must save him from
that fate, girls, and force him to