while the rain blinded her, and the
thunder deafened her, till at last she was forced to sink down on the
ground, feeling more wretched and frightened and cold than any queen
ever felt before. Oh, if she were only safe back in her beautiful
palace! If only she had the tent the king wanted to send with her! But
there all night she had to stay, and all night the storm went on, till
the queen was lying in a flood, and the owls and bats, startled out of
their holes, went flying past her in the dark, and frightening her out
of her senses. When the morning came there was such a shivering,
crumpled up queen sitting on the grass, that even her own ladies would
scarcely have known her.

"'Oh, husband! husband!' she cried, getting up and wringing her cold
little hands. 'You will never find me, and your poor wicked wife will
die of cold and hunger.'

"Tirra-lirra! tirra-lirra! What was that sounding in the forest?
Surely--surely--it was a hunting horn. But who could be blowing it so
early in the cold gray morning, when it was scarcely light? On ran the
queen toward where the sound came from. Over rocks and grass she ran,
till, all of a sudden, stepping out from behind a tree, came the king
himself, who had been looking for her for hours. And then what do you
think the discontented queen did? She folded her hands, and hung her
head, and said, quite sadly and simply:

"'Oh, my lord king, make me a shepherdess really. I don't deserve to be
a queen. Send me away, and let me knit and spin for my living. I have
plagued you long enough.'

"And suddenly it seemed to the king as if there had been a black speck
in the queen's heart, which had been all washed away by the rain; and he
took her hands, and led her home to the palace in joy and gladness. And
so they lived happy ever afterward."

"Thank you _very_ much, mother," said Milly, stretching up her arms and
drawing down Mrs. Norton's face to kiss her. "Do you really think the
queen was never discontented any more?"

"I can't tell you any more than the story does," said Mrs. Norton. "You
see there would always be that dreadful night to think about, if she
ever felt inclined to be; but I daresay the queen didn't find it very
easy at first."

"I would have made her be a shepherdess," said Olly, shaking his head
gravely. "She wasn't nice, not a bit."

"Little Mr. Severity!" said Aunt Emma, pulling his brown curls. "It's
your turn next, Olly."

"Then Milly must kiss me first," s