As soon as school was over on Thursday afternoon, Harold started once
more on his errand to the War-Lord. As usual, he was accompanied to the
city gate by a crowd of schoolboys and girls who envied him his luck and
wished that they could go all the way with him. But this, naturally, the
City Fathers would not permit. One boy carried Harold's coat, and
another his strap of schoolbooks. A third brought the basket with
Harold's luncheon, while Robert carried the flag of truce,--proud boy!
But Richard, Harold's special chum, was the proudest of all. For he was
trusted with the precious volume from the library containing the story
of the King's Pie, which Harold was to read to the War-Lord on that day.
All gave a great cheer when the gate was unbarred; and all the little
girls waved their handkerchiefs when with a gay shake of his hand Harold
stepped out into the danger zone.
Red Rex received him as usual, sitting upon the green hillock. Harold
noticed straightway that the War-Lord's hand was bound up with a
bandage, and that he had a cut over his left eye, which made him look
fiercer than ever.
"But I thought there was a truce!" exclaimed Harold, gazing at these
tokens of trouble. "How came you to be thus hurt, Your Majesty?"
"Nay; it was an accident," said the Red King gruffly. "Say no more about
it, pray. Well! I have no time to waste to-day. Things are coming to an
issue. Let me hear your story as quickly as possible,--if you have
brought one, as I think."
"Yes, Your Majesty," replied Harold. "I have brought you the spicy story
of the King's Pie, which I think you will like. I had meant, in order to
illustrate the story, to bring you also one of the veritable pies. But
that, alas! I am now unable to do. My mother made a pie especially for
this purpose; but it is gone with others which were to be mine, and for
which I grieve on my own account. A wicked thief stole them all during
last night. So I fear you will not appreciate the story so well as
otherwise you might have done."
"Perhaps I shall," said the War-Lord whimsically. "Perhaps I shall
appreciate it all the more."
"Now, what means Your Majesty by that?" cried Harold, wondering very
much at these strange words. "It was such a fine pie! A large, fat,
juicy, rich, crisp, crusty pie,--just such a one as the King enjoyed in
the story."
"Yes, I know!" said Red Rex. "Go on with the story, right speedily, with
no more details of that tantalizing, vanished pie!" And he licked his
lips and shifted his seat as he sat upon his hillock.
Obediently Harold opened the book which his chum Richard had handed to
him just inside the city gate, and began to read the toothsome tale of
_The King's Pie_.