ing his manners, and crying:

"Linda! Linda! come down at once; here's a surprise for you!"

Lady Rosalind came sweeping down, with a smile on her kind face. _She_
guessed what it was, though the prince had said nothing about it at
dinner.

"Lead the way, your royal highness!" cried the ambassador; and the
prince, offering Lady Rosalind his arm, went out into the hall, where he
saw neither his carpet nor the horns and tail of the Firedrake!

He turned quite pale, and said:

"Will you kindly ask the servants where the little Persian prayer-rug and
the parcel which I brought with me have been placed?"

Lord Kelso rang the bell, and in came all the servants, with William, the
under-butler, at their head.

"William," said his lordship, "where have you put his royal highness's
parcel and his carpet?"

"Please, your lordship," said William, "we think Benson have took them
away with him."

"And where is Benson?"

"We don't know, your lordship. We think he have been come for!"

"Come for--by whom?"

William stammered, and seemed at a loss for a reply.

"Quick! answer! what do you know about it?"

William said at last, rather as if he were making a speech.

"Your royaliness, and my lords and ladies, it was like this. His
royaliness comed in with a rug over his arm, and summat under it. And he
lays it down on that there seat, and Thomas shows him into the droring-
room. Then Benson says: 'Dinner'll be ready in five minutes; how tired I
do feel!' Then he takes the libbuty of sitting hisself down on his
royaliness's rug, and he says, asking your pardon, 'I've had about enough
of service here. I'm about tired, and I thinks of bettering myself. I
wish I was at the king's court, and butler.' But before the words was
out of his mouth, off he flies like a shot through the open door, and his
royaliness's parcel with him. I run to the door, and there he was,
flying right hover the town, in a northerly direction. And that's all I
know; for I would not tell a lie, not if it was never so. And me, and
Thomas--as didn't see it,--and cook, we thinks as how Benson was come
for. And cook says as she don't wonder at it, neither; for a
grumblinger, more ill-conditioneder--"

{The Butler on the carpet: p89.jpg}

"Thank you, William," said Lord Kelso; "that will do; you can go, for the
present."

CHAPTER XIII.

_Surprises_.

The prince said nothing, the ambassador said nothing, Lady Rosalind said
never