thought about it at all," wept Jaqueline.

"'Evil is wrought by want of thought,'" said the king, quoting the poet.
"Now run away, dry your tears, and I think you had better bring me that
book, and I'll put it back in one of the locked-up shelves. Later, when
you are older, we shall see about it."

The princess flew to her room, and returned with her book. And the king
kissed her, and told her to go and see if her Majesty meant to take a
drive.

"I'll never deceive him again, never . . . unless it is _quite_
necessary," said the princess to herself. "Indeed, it is not so easy to
deceive the king. What a lot he has read!"

In fact, King Prigio had been very studious when a young man, before he
came to the throne.

"Poor child!" thought the king. "No doubt she was trying her fortune,
wondering if Ricardo cares for her a little. Of course I could not let
her tell me _that_, poor child!"

In this guess, as we know, his Majesty was mistaken, which seldom
happened to him.

"I wonder who she is?" the king went on speaking to himself. "That great
booby, Ricardo, saved her from wild birds, which were just going to eat
her. She was fastened to a mountain top, but _where_? that's the
question. Ricardo never has any notion of geography. It was across the
sea, he noticed _that_; but which sea,--Atlantic, Pacific, the Black Sea,
the Caspian, the Sea of Marmora, the Red Sea, the Indian Ocean, the
German Ocean, the Mediterranean? Her ornaments were very peculiar; there
was a broad gold sun on her breast. I must look at them again some day.
She said she was being sacrificed to wild birds (which her people
worshipped), because there was some famine, or war, or trouble in the
country. She said she was a Daughter of the Sun; but that, of course, is
absurd, unless--By Jove! I believe I have it," said the king, and he
went into the royal library and was looking for some old Spanish book,
when his secretary came and said that the Russian Ambassador was waiting
for an interview with his Majesty.

"Dismal old Muscovite!" sighed the king. "A monarch has not a moment to
himself for his private studies. Ah, Prigio! why wert thou not born to a
private station? But Duty before everything," and wreathing his royal
countenance in smiles, his Majesty prepared to give Count Snoreonski an
audience.

It was all about the attitude of Pantouflia in the event of a Polish
invasion of Russia. The king reassured Count Snoreonski, af