Now, just at this time, the Queen happened by in a magnificent
palanquin of cloth of gold. When she saw the trick that Marmaduke had
performed, she, too, thought he must have come down from the sky, and
she sent her chief officer, the mandarin, to fetch the strange little
boy to the Palace.

He was glad to accept the invitation, for he was getting pretty hungry
by now. But they had to go through many beautiful grounds with strange
summer-houses, and high walls, and ponds with rainbow goldfish
swimming in them, before they reached the main part of the palace
itself. Then the Queen sat down on her throne, with her mandarins
around her, all dressed in those funny coats like pajama-tops and
embroidered with red dragons, and gold birds with great wings, and all
sorts of queer things.

The Queen seemed a little out of sorts, for, when he came to the
throne, she said to him sharply,--

"Show me a trick, or I'll cut your head off."

Marmaduke was puzzled. He didn't know just what to do. He didn't want
to start another earthquake. That was only to be used in times of
great danger. He'd better try something else first. So he felt in his
pockets once more, to see what he could find, and brought out the
little pack of cards with which he had played with the Coal Giant.

"I'll teach you how to play"--"Old Maid," he was going to say, but he
stopped in time. He thought that maybe the Queen had never been
married and she'd be insulted if he asked her to play Old Maid. Then,
too, she might insult him back by cutting his head off. And nobody