prince. Indeed, they did not see him again, for he
was on the balcony with Lady Rosalind. They found a great deal to say
to each other, and at last the prince asked her to be his wife; and she
said that if the king and her father gave their permission--why, then
she would! After this she went to bed; and the prince, who had not slept
at all the night before, felt very sleepy also. But he knew that first
he had something that must be done. So he went into the drawing-room,
took his carpet, and wished to be--now where do you suppose? Beside the
dead body of the Firedrake! There he was in a moment; and dreadful
the body looked, lying stark and cold in the white moonshine. Then the
prince cut off its four hoofs, put them in his wallet, and with these
he flew back in a second, and met the ambassador just as he came from
ushering the king to bed. Then the prince was shown his own room, where
he locked up the hoofs, the carpet, the cap of darkness, and his other
things in an iron box; and so he went to bed and dreamed of his Lady
Rosalind.

[Illustration: Chapter Fifteen]

CHAPTER XV.--_The King's Cheque_

WHEN they all awakened next morning, their first ideas were confused.
It is often confusing to wake in a strange bed, much more so when you
have flown through the air, like the king, the queen, and Benson the
butler. For her part, the queen was the most perplexed of all; for she
did undeniably wake, and yet she was not at home, where she had expected
to be. However, she was a determined woman, and stood to it that nothing
unusual was occurring. The butler made up his mind to claim the crown
princeship and the hand of the Lady Molinda; because, as he justly
remarked to William, here was such a chance to better himself as might
not soon come in his way again. As for the king, he was only anxious
to get back to Falkenstein, and have the whole business settled in a
constitutional manner. The ambassador was not sorry to get rid of the
royal party; and it was proposed that they should all sit down on the
flying carpet, and wish themselves at home again. But the queen would
not hear of it: she said it was childish and impossible; so the carriage
was got ready for her, and she started without saying a word of good-bye
to anyone. The king, Benson, and the prince were not so particular, and
they simply flew back to Falkenstein in the usual way, arriving there at
11.35--a week before her majesty.

The king at once held a Cou