nts."

"I have no choice in the matter," said the Prince, "never having eaten
either. But is it not rather a long journey to Alaska or to South
America?"

"Not at all!" protested the giant. "I shall enjoy the walk, and can
easily be back by sundown. Won't you come with me?" he asked the boy.
But Fiddlecumdoo did not like the idea of so long a journey, and begged
to be excused.

The giantess brought her lord a great bag to put the polar bears in,
and he prepared to start.

"I leave you to amuse my wife during my absence," he said to the
Prince. "Pray make yourself entirely at home, and use my castle as you
would your own house, and if I have good luck you shall eat a delicious
polar-bear stew for your supper."

Then he slung the sack across his back and went away, whistling
merrily. And so great were his strides that in less than a minute he
was out of sight.

"This is my busy day," said the giantess to Fiddlecumdoo, "and I fear I
shall not be able to entertain you in a proper manner, for I must
hasten to the laundry to wash the clothes. However, if you care to
accompany me, we may converse together while I am doing my work."

"I shall take great pleasure in visiting your laundry," he replied,
"for never before have I been in such a place. And surely it will be
more agreeable to watch you at your work than to spend the day alone in
these great rooms."

"Come along, then," she said, and picking him up she placed him in the
pocket of her apron, for she knew he would be unable to walk down the
flight of stairs that led to the laundry. He was very comfortable in
the pocket, which was just deep enough to allow his head and shoulders
to project from the top. Therefore he was able to see all that was
going on while the lady was at work. He watched her wash and rinse the
clothes, and was greatly interested in the operation, as it was all new
to him.

By and by the giantess brought an immense clothes-wringer from a shelf,
and having fastened it to the side of the big wash tub began to wring
out the clothes.

Prince Fiddlecumdoo had never seen a clothes-wringer before, and so
pleased was he with the novelty of it that he leaned far out of the
pocket to watch it work. But, unfortunately, he lost his balance, and
before he knew what had happened to him had fallen from the pocket and
lay sprawling on one of the giant's shirts, which was just then passing
through the wringer.

The woman did not notice his fall, and the