with the harvest; minstrels sent to sing to the bedridden instead of to
an assemblage of bored ladies and gentlemen in a tapestried gallery. Much
less talk of love and many more loving deeds. People wild to serve each
other instead of themselves. All the land silent and helpful, instead of
chattering and selfish! Such a change in the kingdom!

The Wizard was everywhere, for the wall was beginning to be a real
defense, and he spared no pains to see that every stone was strong.

Now the fame of this wall reached King Theophile--for this was in the
days of his warring--and he laughed on his throne and said, "Oh, little
Nation, I will make mincemeat of thee, for I have every kind of weapon
that is made, and many officials who do nothing all day but spy on other
people and brandish their swords. What have you to oppose to such
strength? Little kingdom, you will be but a road to my glory."

So he made great preparations for war, and gathered together all the
weapons that shed blood. There were many of these and he prided himself
upon them, but in all his arsenal was not one instrument that could put
shed blood back again into the veins of a man, which shows that
ironworkers do not know everything.

One fine day the King and all his armies came across the rocking waves
and drove their boats upon the shores of The Kingdom of the Dark Wood
which lay fair before them like a green and purple map edged with white
where the breakers drove high. The land wind brought to their senses the
odors of grapes, and the scent of apples and ripe grain. And the soldiers
said to each other, "We will kill, then we will feast."

They were impatient to overrun the land. Now the air-spies reported that