anuff, who had seen what had happened with the King, and knew that
Giglio must come to grief, got up very early the next morning, and went
to devise some plans for rescuing her darling husband, as the silly old
thing insisted on calling him. She found him walking up and down the
garden, thinking of a rhyme for Betsinda (TINDER and WINDA were all he
could find), and indeed having forgotten all about the past evening,
except that Betsinda was the most lovely of beings.

"Well, dear Giglio," says Gruff.

"Well, dear Gruffy," says Giglio, only HE was quite satirical.

"I have been thinking, darling, what you must do in this scrape. You
must fly the country for a while."

"What scrape?--fly the country? Never without her I love, Countess,"
says Giglio.

"No, she will accompany you, dear Prince," she says, in her most coaxing
accents. "First, we must get the jewels belonging to our royal parents,
and those of her and his present Majesty. Here is the key, duck; they
are all yours, you know, by right, for you are the rightful King of
Paflagonia, and your wife will be the rightful Queen."

"Will she?" says Giglio.

"Yes; and having got the jewels, go to Glumboso's apartment, where,
under his bed, you will find sacks containing money to the amount of
L217,000,000,987,439, 13s. 6-12d., all belonging to you, for he took
it out of your royal father's room on the day of his death. With this we
will fly."

"WE will fly?" says Giglio.

"Yes, you and your bride--your affianced love--your Gruffy!" says the
Countess, with a languishing leer.

"YOU my bride!" says Giglio. "You, you hideous old woman!"

"Oh, you--you wretch! didn't you give me this paper promising marriage?"
cries Gruff.

"Get away, you old goose! I love Betsinda, and Betsinda only!" And in a
fit of terror he ran from her as quickly as he could.

"He! he! he!" shrieks out Gruff; "a promise is a promise if there are
laws in Paflagonia! And as for that monster, that wretch, that fiend,
that ugly little vixen--as for that upstart, that ingrate, that beast,
Betsinda, Master Giglio will have no little difficulty in discovering
her whereabouts. He may look very long before finding HER, I warrant. He
little knows that Miss Betsinda is--"

Is--what? Now, you shall hear. Poor Betsinda got up at five in winter's
morning to bring her cruel mistress her tea; and instead of finding her
in a good humor, found Gruffy as cross as two sticks. The Countess boxed
Betsinda'