y presents, the Cap of Darkness and all the rest of
them, you never could have killed the Fire-beast and the Ice-beast,
and--you never could have married me," the queen added, in a happy
whisper, blushing beautifully, for that was a foolish habit of hers.

"It is quite true," said the king, "and therefore I thought it best to
bring Dick up on fairy books, that he might know what is right, and have
no nonsense about him. But perhaps the thing has been overdone; at all
events, it is not a success. I wonder if fathers and sons will ever
understand each other, and get on well together? There was my poor
father, King Grognio, he wanted me to take to adventures, like other
princes, fighting Firedrakes, and so forth; and I did not care for it,
till _you_ set me on," and he looked very kindly at her Majesty. "And
now, here's Dick," the monarch continued, "I can't hold him back. He is
always after a giant, or a dragon, or a magician, as the case may be; he
will certainly be ploughed for his examination at College. Never opens a
book. What does he care, off after every adventure he can hear about? An
idle, restless youth! Ah, my poor country, when I am gone, what may not
be your misfortunes under Ricardo!"

Here his Majesty sighed, and seemed plunged in thought.

"But you are not going yet, my dear," said the queen. "Why you are not
forty! And young people will be young people. You were quite proud when
poor Dick came home with his first brace of gigantic fierce birds, killed
off his own sword, and with such a pretty princess he had rescued--dear
Jaqueline? I'm sure she is like a daughter to me. I cannot do without
her."

"I wish she were a daughter-in-law; I wish Dick would take a fancy to
marry her," said the king. "A nicer girl I never saw."

"And so accomplished," added Queen Rosalind. "That girl can turn herself
into anything--a mouse, a fly, a lion, a wheelbarrow, a church! I never
knew such talent for magic. Of course she had the _best_ of teachers,
the Fairy Paribanou herself; but very few girls, in our time, devote so
many hours to _practice_ as dear Jaqueline. Even now, when she is out of
the schoolroom, she still practises her scales. I saw her turning little
Dollie into a fish and back again in the bath-room last night. The child
was delighted."

In these times, you must know, princesses learned magic, just as they
learn the piano nowadays; but they had their music lessons too, dancing,
cali