he river, she thought the Princess must be
there.

"It seems very likely," said the Baron after she had finished, "but if
she is there it is hopeless. Our King could never conquer the other
one, who has a much stronger army."

"Do you know," asked the Pop-corn man, "if they have ever had any
pop-corn on the other side of the river?"

"I don't think they have," replied the Baron.

"Then," said the Pop-corn man, "I think I can free the Princess."

"You!" cried the Baron scornfully.

But the Pop-corn man said nothing more. He bowed low to the Baron and
the Head-nurse, and left the tower.

"The idea of his talking as he did," said the Baron. But the nurse was
pinning her shawl, and she hurried out of the tower and overtook the
Pop-corn man.

"How are you going to manage it?" whispered she, touching his sleeve.

The Pop-corn man started. "Oh, it's you?" he said. "Well, you wait a
little, and you will see. Do you suppose you could find six little
boys who would be willing to go over the river with me to-morrow?"

"Would it be quite safe?"

"Quite safe."

"I have six little brothers who would go," said the Head-nurse.

So it was arranged that the six little brothers should go across the
river with the Pop-corn man; and the next morning they set out. They
were all decorated with strings of Pop-corn, they carried baskets of
pop-corn, and bore corn-poppers over their shoulders, and they crossed
the river in a row boat.

Once over the river they went about peddling pop-corn. The man sent
the boys all over the city, but he himself went straight to the
palace.

He knocked at the palace-door, and the maid-servant came. "Is the King
at home?" asked the Pop-corn man.

The maid said he was, and the Pop-corn man asked to see him. Just then
a baby cried.

"What baby is that crying?" asked he.

"A baby that was brought here at sunset, several months ago," replied
the maid; and he knew at once that he had found the Princess.

"Will you find out if I can see the King?" he said.

"I'll see," answered the maid. And she went in to find the King.
Pretty soon she returned and asked the Pop-corn man to step into the
parlor, which he did, and soon the King came downstairs.

[Illustration: "YOU!" CRIED THE BARON SCORNFULLY.]

The Pop-corn man displayed his wares, and the King tasted. He had
never seen any pop-corn before, and he was both an epicure and a man
of hobbies. "It is the nicest food that ever I tasted," he decl