ready in two days."

"I can believe that; no one has visited Rodeck for years, but the
prince's visit will put some life in the old walls, at any rate."

"Well, it turns everything topsy-turvey," growled the castle steward.
"If you only knew how we have been upset, Herr Schönau. The hunting-room
is crammed full of lion and tiger skins, and all sorts of stuffed
animals, and monkeys and parrots are sitting around in all the rooms.
The whole place is in such an uproar from them that one can't hear one's
self speak. And now his highness has just announced to me that there are
a troop of elephants and a great sea-serpent on the way. I think I
struck a blow at them, though."

"What is on the way?" inquired the head forester, who did not believe he
had heard aright.

"A sea-serpent and a dozen elephants. I have fought against them with
all my might. 'Your highness,' I said, 'we cannot accommodate any more
animals, and as to the sea-serpent, such a beast will need water and we
have no pond at Rodeck. And if the elephants do come we'll have to chain
them to trees in the forest, I know no other way.'"

"'That's just the thing' his highness answered, 'just chain them to the
trees, that'll be very wild and picturesque, and we'll send the
sea-serpent to board at Fürstenstein; the castle fish-pond is big
enough.' Herr Schönau, he will people the whole neighborhood with these
monsters, I believe."

The head forester laughed aloud, and gave the steward, who seemed to