t feast in honour of the occasion. The
queen told her husband that of course they must be present at the
banquet, and she would wear the new necklace which he had given her.
They had only a short time to prepare for the journey, and at the last
moment the king went to the jewel chest to take out the necklace for
his wife to wear, but he could see no necklace at all, only, in its
place, a fat little boy baby crowing and shouting. The king was so
astonished that he nearly fell backwards, but presently he found his
voice, and called for his wife so loudly that she came running,
thinking that the necklace must at least have been stolen.

'Look here! look!' cried the king, 'haven't we always longed for a
son? And now heaven has sent us one!'

'What do you mean?' cried the queen. 'Are you mad?'

'Mad? no, I hope not,' shouted the king, dancing in excitement round
the open chest. 'Come here, and look! Look what we've got instead of
that necklace!'

Just then the baby let out a great crow of joy, as though he would
like to jump up and dance with the king; and the queen gave a cry of
surprise, and ran up and looked into the chest.

'Oh!' she gasped, as she looked at the baby, 'what a darling! Where
could he have come from?'

'I'm sure I can't say,' said the king; 'all I know is that we locked
up a necklace in the chest, and when I unlocked it just now there was
no necklace, but a baby, and as fine a baby as ever was seen.'

By this time the queen had the baby in her arms. 'Oh, the blessed
one!' she cried, 'fairer ornament for the bosom of a queen than any
necklace that ever was wrought. Write,' she continued, 'write to our
neighbour and say that we cannot come to his feast, for we have a
feast of our own, and a baby of our own! Oh, happy day!'

So the visit was given up; and, in honour of the new baby, the bells
of the city, and its guns, and its trumpets, and its people, small and
great, had hardly any rest for a week; there was such a ringing, and
banging, and blaring, and such fireworks, and feasting, and rejoicing,
and merry-making, as had never been seen before.

A few years went by; and, as the king's boy baby and his neighbour's
girl baby grew and throve, the two kings arranged that as soon as they
were old enough they should marry; and so, with much signing of
papers and agreements, and wagging of wise heads, and stroking of
grey beards, the compact was made, and signed, and sealed, and lay
waiting for its ful