The Red King could not disguise his pleasure in the tale of the
Wonder-Garden, though he grumbled when he found there was to be no
fighting in it. When Harold had finished reading the story, Red Rex
patted him on the head and said gruffly,--
"Good, my boy! You do, indeed, read a tale as well as one would wish.
But tell me, now; in what part of Kisington is the place where this
Gerda had her Wonder-Garden? Is it far from here?"
"Nay, not far from here," said Harold. "About a mile from our library,
by the sea, stands the villa where Gerda and the Lord Mayor's son lived
happily ever after. I could show Your Majesty the place, if you were not
unfortunately at war with our city."
"I would fain see that place," said Red Rex thoughtfully. "I have a
fancy that Gerda, indeed, came from my land. I have heard a legend that
one of my great-great-grandfather's own sisters was stolen by the
gypsies, and carried away to a far country. It might well be that she
ran away from those gypsies, and escaped to this Kingdom, and that it
was she whom the Lord Mayor found living lonely by the sea."
"It might well be so!" said Harold. "Oh, Your Majesty! How exciting!
Then the Lady Anyse, who lives now at that villa, may be your own
far-off cousin."
"She may be, indeed," mused the Red King. "What like is she, Harold?"
"She is tall, and handsome, and has red hair like Your Majesty," said
Harold. "I have seen her often when I went to visit the Garden."
"The Garden?" exclaimed Red Rex. "Does the Wonder-Garden, then, still
exist?"
"Not quite the same as in the day of Gerda and Cedric," answered Harold,
"but yet a wonder-garden. It is called 'The Aquarium' now, and is one of
the public gardens of Kisington, given to the town by the will of Cedric
and Gerda. The Lady Anyse has it under her care."
"Verily, I should like to visit it and see both its wonders and my
long-lost cousin," muttered the Red King.
"What a pity that you are making war upon our city!" exclaimed Harold.
"There are so many fine things that cannot be while there is war."
"Yet war must be," answered Red Rex. "And I must be at it straightway."
He rose and flourished his sword with a determined air.
"But at least you will spare the east of Kisington, where the
Wonder-Garden lay, and not fire gums or arrows in that direction?"
suggested Harold, pointing eastward. The Red King followed the direction
of his finger.
"Yes, that I will promise," said Red Rex, after a moment's hesitation.
"I promise that; lest otherwise I might injure my own blood royal.
Because I am King I must not forget that!" He swelled his chest proudly.
"_Noblesse oblige_!" murmured Harold. "It was the motto of the Lion
Passant."
"I know that motto well; and what of a lion passant?" inquired Red Rex.
"A lion passant is one of the emblems in my own royal coat of arms!"
"Then, Your Majesty has not heard the tale of the Lion Passant?" asked
Harold, feigning surprise. "It is one of the best known in our land. You
will find your royal lion in the arms of our city of Derrydown; and
there is a tale to account for that."
Harold began to smile as if the memory of the tale pleased him.
Red Rex frowned. "It is too late to hear that tale to-night," he
murmured.
"Yes, Your Majesty," agreed Harold. "Besides, I cannot tell it by heart.
I should have to get the book from our generous library. I can read it
better; there is so much in the manner of the writing. It is a pity Your
Majesty is in such a hurry to fight, or I might bring that book hither
to-morrow and read you the pleasant tale."
The Red King fidgeted. "I am losing time at a terrible rate!" he
growled. "Think of what harm I might be doing! When have I wasted hours
like this, you wheedling boy?"
"I do not think these hours are wasted. It is war that wastes," said
Harold.
"Fudge!" retorted Red Rex; "we must have war. Was that lion a red lion,
Harold?"
"A red lion, Your Majesty," nodded Harold.
The Red King grew excited. "I must, then, hear about him!" he cried. "It
is my duty.--What ho, there!" he shouted to his men who were making
ready to continue the siege. "I have changed my mind. We will not fight
for another day. Take this boy back to the city, and proclaim continued
truce until he returns to us."
"Your Majesty is wise," said Harold with shining eyes. "I think you will
not be sorry to hear the tale of the Lion Passant."
So the crisis was delayed for another day; and Kisington blessed Harold.
They made a feast at the poor widow's cottage from presents sent by the
Leading Citizens. Richard and Robert sat at the head of the table, one
on each side of Harold, and all his other boy and girl friends sat down
the sides of the table, and he told them all about his adventure with
the besieging King. One and all begged him to let them go with him on
the following day. But this, of course, Harold could not promise. He was
the only one who could read well enough to charm the War-Lord. They all
wished that they had learned to read as well as Harold.
When on the morrow Harold returned to the Red King, this is the story
which he read from one of the peaceful books of Kisington--the story of
_The Lion Passant_.