wish to reduce them any more."

"All right, then," replied the Wizard, crossly; for the truth was,
that, having a variety of affairs on his mind that day, he had forgotten
that Vance's Court were pygmies, and was thinking they were giants, and
a wizard never likes to find himself mistaken. "All right, then; don't
reduce them. I'm sure I don't care what you do."

"Oh, don't say that!" begged the Prince, with tears in his eyes. "Please
don't act as if you didn't care! Oh, your Wizardship, I've come so far
to find you, and I've met such unpleasant people, and such horrible
things have happened to me on the way, pray do not refuse to help me now
that I have found you at last!"

"Well, then," returned the Wizard, "be polite, and do as I tell you. Do
you find any roots, by the by?"

"Not one," said the Prince, leaning on his spade in despair.

"That's bad," said the Wizard. "I would sell the charm to you for one
Greek root."

"Oh," cried the Prince, "my tutor has some, I know. His head used to be
full of them; and unless they have grown so small that he has lost them,
I'll be bound he has them still."

[Illustration]

Upon this the Prince hastened to open his box, and, to his great
delight, succeeded in obtaining from his tutor several Greek roots
which, though small, were of good shape and in fair condition. These
being given to the Wizard, and by him handed to the witch, the Prince
waited eagerly for the charm to be told him.

But the Wizard had apparently no mind to speak. He whistled a few
moments, and then, drawing a string from his pocket, began to make a
cat's-cradle over his long crushed-strawberry fingers.

"I've sent a message by telegraph to the court cat," he announced. "Go
through that white gateway, and you'll come to the high-road. It is the
southern boundary of Jolliland. Your way is straight. By sunset you will
be at the castle. The cat knows all."

XVIII

The Prince thanked the Wizard, though not very warmly: for, to tell the
truth, he did not much believe that the Wizard had sent a message to the
cat; and even if he had, Vance had in times past so hectored and
tormented that poor animal that he felt some delicacy in asking a favor
from her now. However, he kept on in the direction pointed out, passed
through the white gate, and started forth merrily enough along the
high-road. He was disturbed, indeed, by some fears of the wicked General
Bopi; but he had, in spite of himself, some fai