the authority of all successful
sorcerers and not for anything would Colombo have had his trick a
failure.

"Now ladies and gentlemen", said Colombo, "I am going to ask this lady
and these two gentlemen if they will be so good as to see if they can
take this little egg and make it stand on end without any support."

And very droll it was to see the unsuccessful attempts which the three
made. Finally Colombo said:

"Now ladies and gentlemen, I want you to watch me closely. I put the
silk hat on my head--thus. And I take the egg in my right hand--thus.
Now, if this young lady will be kind enough to hold my left hand--I hope
that her best fellow doesn't mind letting such a pretty girl hold my
hand--it's lucky my wife can't see me, though--a friend said to me the
other day, 'Who was that lady I seen you with?' and I said, 'That wasn't
no lady, that was my wife'. Now ladies and gentlemen I take this egg,
and in order to make it stand upright I tap one end gently--thus against
the table until that end is flattened--and then, presto--the egg stands
upright. Ladies and gentlemen, I thank you one and all for your kind
attention."

Thus it was that Colombo impressed King Ferdinand and his court with his
profound knowledge of geography. Next the tale tells how there came to
Colombo on Michaelmas Eve one sent by Queen Isabel, And when Colombo had
buckled on his sword Impavide he followed the messenger through winding
corridors and came at last to the chamber of the Queen. And as he knelt
before her it seemed to Colombo that never before had he seen such
unforgettable beauty as shone in the eyes of Queen Isabel. Yes, truly,
this was the loveliest girl that Colombo had ever imagined.

"Now do you rise", said she, "and you and I shall have a nice chat alone
here together, and you can tell me all about geography of which I am
oh, frightfully ignorant. In truth", said she, "I have tried to
get Ferdinand to instruct me, but I fear", said Queen Isabel, "that
Ferdinand does not understand me."

So Colombo instructed Queen Isabel in the fundamentals of geography. And
after a while he spoke.

"Now many people", said Colombo, "believe that the earth is flat, but",
said Colombo, "such is not at all the case."

And after an interval Colombo said, "There, my dear, do you not see how
ridiculous it is to suppose that the earth is anything but round?"

"Why surely, sire", said Queen Isabel, "you make it appear very round.
And I wonder th