ardly knew himself. He pulled himself together, however, enough
to withdraw his resignation, and then looked out over the sea. In
mid-channel lay the dead dragon, and far in the distance he could see
the white sails of the boat nearing the shores of Allexanassa.

'And what are we to do now?' asked the Prime Minister.

'Have a bath,' said the King. 'The dragon's dead, and I'll fetch Eliza
in the morning. They won't hurt her over there now the dragon's killed.'

'_They_ won't hurt her,' said the Prime Minister. 'It's the treacle.
Allexanassa is an island. The dragon brought the treacle up by his
enchantments, and now there is no one to take it away again. You'll
never get a boat to live in a sea like that--never.'

'Won't I?' said Billy. 'I'm cleverer than you.'

But, all the same, he didn't quite see his way to sailing a boat in that
sea, and with a sad and aching heart he went back to the palace to the
silver bath. The treacle and straws took hours to wash off, and after
that he was so tired that he did not want any supper, which was just as
well, because there was no one to cook it. Tired as he was, Billy slept
very badly. He woke up again and again to wonder what had become of his
brave little friend, and to wish that he could have done something to
prevent her being carried away in that boat; but, think as he might, he
failed to see that he could have done any differently. And his heart
sank, for, in spite of his bold words to the Prime Minister, he had no
more idea than you have how to cross the sea of thick treacle that lay
between his kingdom and Allexanassa. He invented steamships with red-hot
screws and paddle-wheels all through his dreams, and when he got up in
the morning he looked out of his window on the dark sea and longed for a
good, gray, foamy, salt, tumbling sea like we have at home in
England, no matter how high the waves and the winds might be. But the
wind had fallen, and the dark brown sea looked strangely calm.

[Illustration: 'The two skated into each other's arms.'--Page 271.]

Hastily snatching a dozen peaches out of the palace garden by way of
breakfast, Billy the King hurried to the beach by the lighthouse. No
heaving of the treacle sea broke the smooth line of it against the
beach. Billy looked--looked again, swallowed the last peach, stone and
all, and tore back to the town.

He rushed into the chief ironmonger's and bought a pair of skates and a
gimlet. In less time than I can write