said the Dwarf-King, reading the card which the parrot had
finally chosen, "the Lord Chief Justice condemns you for the rest of
your natural life to be Master Beater of the Palace Carpets."

Great applause followed this sage judgment.

So the three rogues were led away, and unless you have heard to the
contrary, they are still making up for their wicked lives by enforced
diligence at their tasks. The palace has five hundred and ninety-six
chimneys, eight thousand, seven hundred and fifty-three windows, and
eleven hundred and ninety-nine large dust-gathering carpets, and the
chimneys, windows, and carpets have to be swept, washed, and beaten at
least once a week.

Now when the King, the Chancellor, and the Chamberlain failed to return,
the people took the hunter out of his prison and made him king, because
he was the richest and most powerful of them all.

As for the treasure of the treasure castle, it is still there, packed in
the linen sacks, lying just inside the great door.

Perhaps some day you may find it. If you do, don't be greedy, and don't
go up to the turret chamber.

PRINCE SNEEZE

[Illustration: In a cave filled with icicles, a small dog and a giant
are looking into an open chest.]

Once upon a time a king and a queen gave a magnificent party in honor of
the christening of their new-born son, Prince Rolandor. To this party
the royal parents took good care to invite every single fairy in
Fairyland, for they knew very well the unhappy consequences of
forgetting to invite fairies to christenings. When all the invitations
had been sent out, the Queen went down to the kitchen to superintend the
cooking of the master-dainty of the feast, a huge strawberry-tart.

The morning on which the grand ceremony was to take place arrived. At
half-past ten the Court Astrologer, who was master of ceremonies, gave
the order to form in line; and at ten minutes to eleven the splendid
procession started for the church. The road was lined with the King's
vassals shouting, "Hurrah, hurrah!" Countless little elves with gauzy
wings watched from the branches of the trees; and the great cathedral
bells went clang, bang, clang, as merrily as could be.

Just behind the royal body-guard came the King's gold-and-diamond coach
shining in the sunlight of June, with the King and the Queen in it on
one side and the Court Astrologer and the fairy Titania, prospective
godparents of the little Prince, on the other. The Princ