ts are silver!"

Martin knew as much about the court as any present; but he was in one of
his silent humours this evening.

"The princess gave a hundred crowns," cried the blacksmith, "for a
one-eyed lapdog, and My Lord Lackaday--Prince Primus, I mean--two
hundred for a certain white fly for his angling-rod----"

"And he never gave _me_ a hundred _groats_," blurted out Martin, who
could not stand any reference to the prince in question.

Thereupon the conversation took another turn; wages were discussed, the
weaver and the ploughman "compared notes"; and, as for Martin, it was
the unanimous opinion of the whole company that he, at least, ought to
strike--to insist on an increase of pay, or refuse to labour any more as
the king's own gardener.

Accordingly, the next morning Martin watched and waited till his royal
master came sidling along the smooth gravel walk in his embroidered
slippers, with his dressing-gown floating about him, sniffing with
good-humoured satisfaction the sweet fragrance of the standard roses,
that formed a phalanx on either side.

"I've got to tell your Majesty," began Martin abruptly, "that, unless
your Majesty raises my salary, I can't work any more in your Majesty's
garden."

Whereupon the old king started back all astonished; then laughed so
heartily that he brought on a fit of coughing.

"Your Majesty may be highly amused," grumbled Martin, "but I've said my
say, and I mean to stick to it!"

"But suppose your salary _ain't_ raised," began the king, trying his
best to look serious, "what then?"

"Then I'll go!" cried Martin; and, so saying, he flung his spade with
such force into the soil, that it stood upright.

"Well, my man, we'll give you a week to come to your senses," replied
the monarch, as, gathering up his skirts, he shuffled away down the
garden walk.

When Martin arrived home he found a great fuss going on in his little
cottage. All the good wives of the hamlet were gathered about the
door-porch; and, when he entered, lo, and behold, Dame Ursula held in
her arms the dearest little beauty of a baby-boy!

She wept for joy, as she saw how pleased her goodman was with his new
little son; but when he related to her all that had passed between
himself and his master, the old king, she clasped her hands together,
and began to weep and wail for sorrow, "because," as she said, "it was a
very bad time to be 'out of work,' and an evil omen for the child.
However, we'll have a r