r wife; if not, you shall lose your head three days from now,"
said the king, who hid his daughter in a secret room in the palace.

Juan went home and called all the best goldsmiths in the kingdom. He
told them to make a little wagon of pure gold, with a secret cell
inside in which a man could sit with a musical instrument and play
it. The goldsmiths finished the wagon in two days and were paid
off. Then Juan called a man and told him to drag this little wagon
along the street toward the palace, and then to the plaza. After
entering the secret cell with his musical instrument, he told the
driver to do as he had been directed. The man began to drag the wagon
along the street toward the palace. Men, women, and children crowded
both sides of the street to see this wagon of pure gold, which gave
out such sweet music. When the wagon passed in front of the palace,
the queen was amazed at it. She asked the king to summon the driver
before him. So the king called the driver, and asked him to bring
the golden wagon into the hall where the queen was.

"How much will you sell this for?" asked the queen.

"I will not sell it," answered the driver.

"Can you not lend it to me until this afternoon?" said the king;
and at last the driver agreed to lend the wagon for a few hours.

The queen then dragged the wagon along the hall, and took it to her
daughter in the secret room. The princess was delighted. As she pushed
it forwards and backwards, sweet music charmed her ears. At last
Juan came out of the secret cell in the wagon and knelt before the
princess. He told her why he had been led to play this trick, and last
of all he told her that he would have lost his life on the morrow if he
had not been able to find her. He also began to express his love for
her. At first she hesitated to accept his protestations of affection;
but at last she accepted him, and gave him one of her rings as a sign
that she would marry him. Fearing that he might be caught in the room
by some one else, Juan now entered the secret cell of the wagon again.

At last the king came, and started to drag the wagon out of the palace
to the place where the driver was waiting. Juan suddenly opened the
door of the secret cell and stood before the king. "O king!" he said,
"now I have accomplished your command. I have found and seen your
daughter in the secret room, and she has given me this ring."

The king was amazed, and said to himself that, had he known that
th