bear even that if I had any money, but I assure you that the
expenses of the wedding have completely ruined me. Advise me,
then, my dear subjects, what had I better do to recover my daughter,
Fanfaronade, and the other things.'

This was the most eloquent speech the King had been known
to make, and when everybody had done admiring it the Prime
Minister made answer:

`Sire, we are all very sorry to see you so sorry. We would
give everything we value in the world to take away the cause of
your sorrow, but this seems to be another of the tricks of the Fairy
Carabosse. The Princess's twenty unlucky years were not quite
over, and really, if the truth must be told, I noticed that Fanfaronade
and the Princess appeared to admire one another greatly. Perhaps
this may give some clue to the mystery of their disappearance.'

Here the Queen interrupted him, saying, `Take care what you
say, sir. Believe me, the Princess Mayblossom was far too well
brought up to think of falling in love with an Ambassador.'

At this the nurse came forward, and, falling on her knees,
confessed how they had made the little needle-hole in the tower, and
how the Princess had declared when she saw the Ambassador that
she would marry him and nobody else. Then the Queen was very
angry, and gave the nurse, and the cradle-rocker, and the nursery-
maid such a scolding that they shook in their shoes. But the
Admiral Cocked-Hat interrupted her, crying:

`Let us be off after this good-for-nothing Fanfaronade, for with