k his hand away from the hand he had pressed.

"Honey-Bee," he said, "why did you deceive me when you told me at the
banquet that you loved no one else?"

"Little King Loc," Honey-Bee replied, "I did not deceive you at the
banquet. At that time I had no desire to marry George of Blanchelande,
but to-day it is my dearest wish that he should ask to marry me. But he
will never ask me, as I do not know where he now is, nor does he know
where I am. And this is the reason I weep."

At these words the musicians ceased playing; the acrobats interrupted
their tumbling and stood immovable, some on their heads and some
on their haunches; Tad and Dig shed silent tears on the sleeve of
Honey-Bee; Pau, simple soul, dropped his basket of grapes, and all the
little men gave vent to the most fearful groans.

But King Loc, more unhappy than all under his splendid jewelled crown,
silently withdrew, his mantle trailing behind him like a purple torrent.

XVI

In which an account is given of the learned Nur who was the
cause of such extraordinary joy to King Loc

King Loc did not permit the young girl to observe his weakness; but when
he was alone he sat on the ground and with his feet in his hands gave
way to grief. He was jealous. "She loves him," he said to himself, "and
she does not love me! And yet I am a king and very wise; great treasures
are mine and I know the most marvellous secrets. I am superior to all
other dwarfs, who are in turn superior to all men. She does not love
me but she loves a young man who not only has not the learning of the
dwarfs, but no other learning either.

"It must be acknowledged that she does not appreciate merit--nor has she
much sense. I ought to laugh at her want of judgment; but I love her and
I care for nothing in the world because she does not love me."

For many long days King Loc roamed alone through the most desolate
mountain passes, turning over in his mind thoughts both sad and,
sometimes, wicked. He even thought of trying by imprisonment and
starvation to force Honey-Bee to become his wife. But rejecting this
plan as soon as formed he decided to go in search of her and throw
himself at her feet. But he could come to no decision, and at last he
was quite at a loss what to do. The truth being that whether Honey-Bee
would love him did not depend on him.

Suddenly his anger turned against George of Blanchelande; and he hoped
that the young man had been carried far away by