be. He tried the door, and found it still bolted; so,
with growing uneasiness, the boy was forced to admit
that the precious shoe was not in the room.

With a throbbing heart he aroused his companion.

"King Rinkitink," said he, "do you know what has
become of my left shoe?"

"Your shoe!" exclaimed the King, giving a wide yawn
and rubbing his eyes to get the sleep out of them.
"Have you lost a shoe?"

"Yes," said Inga. "I have searched everywhere in the
room, and cannot find it."

"But why bother me about such a small thing?"
inquired Rinkitink. "A shoe is only a shoe, and you can
easily get another one. But, stay! Perhaps it was your
shoe which I threw at the cat last night."

"The cat!" cried Inga. "What do you mean?"

"Why, in the night," explained Rinkitink, sitting up
and beginning to dress himself, "I was wakened by the
mewing of a cat that sat upon a wall of the palace,
just outside my window. As the noise disturbed me, I
reached out in the dark and caught up something and
threw it at the cat, to frighten the creature away. I
did not know what it was that I threw, and I was too