himself. We must let the King know of this. Yes, you shall enter.
Here! Take him captive! Off with him to the prison."
"To prison!" cried John in amazement. "For what ill deed, I pray?"
But already the guards were pressing forward upon him. At the sight of
their threatening looks Brutus ran in front of John and began to growl
warningly, crouching ready to spring upon the first who should lay
hands on the boy. The wolf bristled and showed his fangs. And the
bear, rising on his hind legs, growled and blinked his little red eyes
so terribly that the men fell back. John was protected by powerful
friends. The other animals shrank close to him, and the raven began to
scream.
[Illustration: John was protected by powerful friends.]
"Have a care!" warned John. "My friends are armed with sharp teeth and
claws, and they will not readily let a stranger touch me."
"He is a wizard!" muttered the soldiers; but they shrank back, afraid
to touch him.
"Why do you treat me thus?" asked John wistfully.
"Because you say you are a friend to that vile magician of the woods,
by whose arts the Prince was wounded, they say, and who yet holds him
at death's door." So spoke the Captain of the guards. "The Prince
still lives. But when he passes, the King has decreed that the wizard
shall die the death. You come in time to share it, if you be his
pupil!"
"Oh, hasten, hasten!" cried John, clasping his hands. "Please take me
to him! Perhaps I may yet save the good old man. If it is not too
late, perhaps I can also save the Prince."
"Ay, we will take you to him fast enough, if you will call off your
growling beasts," said the Captain.
"Nay, we must all go together," answered John, who saw how they meant
to trap him. "Oh, come, let us be moving, for there is no time to
lose!"
Grumbling, but afraid either to delay or to venture near John, the
guards formed in a hollow square about him and his pets, and they all
began to march in a strange company through the city streets to the
palace.
A crowd gathered as they passed. Men, women, and children craned their
necks to look at this group of animals, such as had not been seen in
the city for years. They gazed, too, at the handsome yellow-haired
boy, and whispered among themselves, "Who is he? What has he done?"
John noticed that the faces of the people who gazed at him were set and
hard. They seemed sad and hopeless. He pitied them. "It is a kingdom
without love," he said to himself.
Yet, as they looked, their faces changed. A new something came into
their eyes. A whispering went around among the crowd, increasing to a
murmur, like the sound of bees.
They came at last to the palace, where the crowd was forced to pause.
But, surrounded by the band of soldiers, John and his party went in and
on, led by the Captain himself, at whose word or gesture doors flew
open and servants bowed.
Through long, glittering halls, lined with mirrors in which their rags
and dust, draggled feathers and matted hair showed pitifully, limped
John and his weary friends. Up a grand marble staircase, with
wondering footmen lining either side, pattered on muddy feet Brutus and
his gray brother, and the bear, clumsily erect at John's side. Behind
mewed the tired Blanche, whose kittens John carried in his arms, while
the carrier pigeon and the raven perched on his shoulder. But the
other birds had remained outside in the trees of the palace garden.
XXI
THE PALACE
At last they came to a great hall, full of people who seemed met for
some solemn purpose. At the door stood the Grand Chamberlain in lace
and velvet, holding in one hand his staff, and in the other an
hourglass at which he was gazing earnestly.
"What is this?" he said sternly, as the Captain approached with his
prisoners. "Do you not know that this is a moment of life and death?"
In a few whispered words the Captain explained matters.
The Chamberlain stared sullenly at John. "No more wizardry!" he said
at last. "We have had enough of that. The King has just passed
judgment on the sorcerer. In five minutes he is to die. The doctors
declare this to be the only hope for the Prince's life."
"Oh, let me see him! Let me see my good father!" begged John, clasping
his hands piteously. "I may yet save his life, I and these friends."
As he said this, John had a sudden thought. He fumbled in his bosom
for the silver Cross, and held it out with trembling hands so that the
Chamberlain could see it.
The man started back, turning pale and letting fall his staff of
office. "What does this mean?" he cried, "Who is this lad? How came
he by this token?"
Once more the Captain whispered to him. The Chamberlain looked wildly
at John, then at the hourglass, in which the last grains of sand had
sifted down.
"The time has come," he said; "the fatal moment is here! I should give
the signal for which the executioners wait. But something holds me
back. In Heaven's name, what does it all mean? Is it sorcery or--"
"It is the Lord's will," said John quietly. "Oh, pray, let me see the
King."
"I do not understand," muttered the Chamberlain hoarsely. "But, in the
name of the talisman which you wear, enter. Go alone. I dare not face
the King with his order disobeyed."
A broad aisle was left open down the hall through the ranks of lords
and ladies. At the end of it was a tall gilt throne. And on the
throne, clad in purple and gold, John saw a figure sitting, pale and
terrible. It was the King. John knew his cold, cruel face, although
the man had greatly altered in those weeks since the day of hunting in
the park. For now the King's hair was snow-white and his body was bent
like that of an old man.
John fixed his eyes upon this figure and began to walk forward
steadily. Beside him paced Brutus, looking up anxiously into the boy's
face. In his right hand John led the bear, walking upright. The wolf
slunk behind, with lolling tongue. In his arms John still carried the
kittens, and on his shoulder perched the raven, while Blanche trotted
behind him.
It was indeed a strange sight. A hush came upon the hall, and every
one stared open-mouthed as they passed along. At last the King
himself, who was sitting with bent head, noticed the silence and
glanced up. John, with his queer group, was now almost at the foot of
the throne. The King started up with a cry of rage and surprise. He
glared at the lad and at the animals with blazing eyes. "What does
this mean?" he shouted.
But at that moment John himself gave a cry. He had seen a figure that
he knew, and, forgetting all else, he was hurrying towards it. At one
side of the throne stood the Hermit, pale and sad, with his hands tied
behind his back and a rope about his neck. He was guarded on each side
by a man with a drawn sword.
"My father!" cried John, throwing himself upon the good man's neck
before the wondering guards could interfere. At the same time Brutus
gave a loud bark of joy and leaped upon his master.
"My dear son!" cried the Hermit, with tears in his eyes. "I thought
not to see you again!"
At the sound of his voice the cat gave a loud "Miaou!" and ran to him.
The kittens squeaked and tried to climb his gown. The bear growled
contentedly and trotted to his side. The wolf leaped to him with
fierce pleasure. The raven hopped to his feet with a scream of Joy,
and the carrier pigeon, with a soft "Coo!" fluttered to his shoulder.
To the watching men and women of that court it seemed a miracle.
For a moment all was silent. Then the King found voice. "What does
this mean?" he cried again. "How have this vagrant and his vile beasts
found entrance to my palace? It is the hour for execution, not for
mummery. Why is not the signal given?"
"O King," said John timidly, "they let me in because I said that I came
to cure your son, if may be."
"More sorcery!" howled the King, beside himself with rage. "Take him
away! Slay them all,--the old man, the boy, the animals! I have
waited too long already. Perhaps even now my son is dead!" He rose,
trembling.
But the Hermit's voice rang out now, loud and clear. "O King," he
cried, "enough talk of sorcery and magic. This boy has come to help
your son, who sought to slay him. He has brought the animals whose
lives you covet, to show you how much you may owe to them. Lo, this
carrier pigeon bore my message bidding him to come,--not for my sake.
For I told him nothing of the danger in which I lay. This noble dog
guided him to the village by a path which only he could follow. Now
with these other animals he hopes to amuse the Prince and awaken him to
life. There is no magic in this; only love, O King--the love which is
lacking in your sad and sullen kingdom."
There was a murmur in the crowd, which swayed forward toward John and
the Hermit. For some seconds the King stood speechless, staring at the
Hermit and the group around him. Then, with a wave of his hand, he
bade the guards stand back. He turned to a black-gowned man on his
right who had just entered the hall. "Does my son still live?" he
asked in a choking voice.
The doctor nodded gravely. "He still lives, Sire. But he is very low.
He cannot survive many minutes."
The King paled. "Let us hasten," he said. "It is the last chance.
Perhaps the boy has skill." Then, turning to the little group of
people from the forest, he beckoned grimly. "Come with me," he said.
"Save my son's life, and you save your own. Otherwise I swear that you
shall all die the most hideous and painful of deaths."
Descending from the throne with tottering steps, for the King had grown
a feeble old man, he led the way from the great hall. Behind him came
the doctor and the Hermit. John followed, with the animals in his arms
and close about his heels.
So they came to the door of a room in one wing of the palace.
XXII
THE PRINCE'S CHAMBER
At the door the King paused and turned back to the little company which
followed him.
"You may enter," he said, "and try your skill on the Prince, who is
near to death. If you cure him, I will give you whatsoever reward you
may demand. But see that you do not fail!" The King's voice was full
of menace. "Enter, in the name of whatever magic you use."
"In the name of love we come," said the Hermit gently; "and in the name
of love we shall do our best for your son, O King. Enter softly, John.
You must do without me now. Leave our larger, clumsier friends outside
with me."
Softly John tiptoed over the sill, carrying the kittens in his arms,
with the dove on his shoulder, and the white cat following behind.
In the centre of the room was a couch, hung with a splendid canopy of
purple and gold. Beneath a purple coverlet fringed with gold lay the
Prince, white as the lace of the pillow on which his black curls
rested. His eyes were closed, and he looked still and lifeless. The
hand which lay outside on the purple velvet was as white and
transparent as the hand of a marble statue.
On one side of his bed sat a doctor in a black velvet gown, and several
attendants stood about with long faces and tired eyes. On the other
side of the couch a little girl crouched on a low stool. She was a
pale, pretty little thing, younger than John, and her dress of
brilliant red made her sad, dark eyes look all the more sorrowful as
she gazed at John wistfully. It was Clare, the Prince's only sister.
As they entered the room the King made a sign to the doctor, who shook
his head sadly. The King crossed to the bed and bent down over his
son, touching the cold face. But it did not change. Neither the lips
nor eyelids trembled, and John could see no sign of life in that still
body. How different, he thought suddenly, from the vigorous figure
which had wrestled with him in the forest. How different that face
from the one which had looked back at him triumphantly after the arrow
had struck the poor deer!
"He does not hear nor see," said the King gloomily. "He scarcely
breathes. What will you do?"
John hesitated. He had made no plan; he hardly knew with what hope the
Hermit had summoned him and his pets thither. It seemed a hopeless
task.
The King frowned at his daughter. "Why is this girl allowed here?" he
said gruffly. "Leave the room."
"Oh, Sire," pleaded the little Princess, with tears in her eyes,
"please let me stay! When my brother is so ill, surely my place is at
his side. I will be quite still, indeed I will. Only do not send me
away!"
John looked at her and thought how like a gentle little animal she was,
so timid, and with such large, beseeching eyes. John had never known
any little girls. Now he thought they would be very pleasant things to
have in an animal kingdom.
"Please let her stay, King," he said gently. "She can do no harm."
"Very well. Let her stay," said the King impatiently. "But what will
you do? What magic have you, boy?"
Suddenly John had an impulse. He stepped forward with the squirming
kittens and laid them on the velvet coverlet close by the Prince's
marble hand. The doctor arose with a cry of horror; the attendants
rushed forward. The little Princess drew a long breath. But the King
raised his hand.
"Let the boy alone," he commanded. "Even this madness shall be
humored. There is no hope now but in him."
The kittens began to frisk and gambol about the velvet, and the old
cat, with a contented purr, jumped up beside them. She was tired, poor
thing, and glad to find a soft bed. At that moment those who were
watching saw a change come upon the Prince's face. His eyelids
quivered. His lips moved slightly. The King raised his hands and
trembled.
Then began a frolic upon that royal bed such as for ten years had not
been seen in all the kingdom. Up and down, around and around, the
kittens chased one another. They rolled over and over, kicking and
biting. They played with their mother's tail. They scampered over the
still body of the Prince himself, and one of them, coming to his hand,
began to play with the white fingers, nibbling at them and licking them
with warm little pink tongue.
And what happened? Slowly the Prince's eyes opened. For a moment they
gazed blankly at the frolicking kittens. Then his lips gradually
parted, and the flicker of a tiny smile came upon them. The King
clasped his hands over his eyes, and gave a cry of joy. The little
Princess laid her head on the pillow beside her brother's and wept
silently.
The kitten which was playing with the Prince's hand rolled over on its
back and began to kick at the royal fingers. A tiny red scratch
appeared on the milky skin. At the same moment a bit of color came
into the Prince's white lips and cheeks. He turned his head, and
lifting his hand stroked the soft ball of fur. The little thing
responded immediately, arching its back and beginning to purr.
Presently the Prince's other hand stole out from under the coverlet.
He drew the kitten feebly to his face and rubbed his cheek against the
silky fur, and he smiled!
[Illustration: He stroked the soft ball of fur.]
The doctor turned to the King. "He will live," he said. "It must be
magic!"
"He lives! My son lives!" cried the King, bending over the Prince in a
transport.
The Prince opened his eyes and looked at him, and a change came upon
his face. The smile faded, and he closed his eyes wearily.
"Your Majesty," said John, speaking gently, "if you will allow me to
give the Prince a healing draught which I myself have made from
life-giving herbs, I think now he will sleep and waken refreshed."
"Do as you will!" cried the King. "Whatever you wish shall be done in
the palace. Whatever you ask shall be given."
With a word and a gentle touch John roused the Prince, who swallowed
the draught which the boy gave him. "Now let us leave him to sleep,"
said John.
But when they would have removed the cat and kittens, a cloud came over
the Prince's face, and his hand wandered feebly, as if craving the
touch of the silky fur.
"We will leave them here," said John. "They are what he needs."
"Oh, let me stay too!" cried the little Princess, with shining eyes.
And across the room she and John smiled at each other, as he nodded,
saying, "Yes, O King, I pray that you will let the little maid stay."
So they withdrew from the chamber, and left the Prince to dream with
his new friends sleeping about him, and the little sister with her head
upon the pillow at his side. And all night long he slept like a baby
with a smile upon his face.
The Prince's cure had begun.
XXIII
THE CURE
There was wonder and excitement in the palace, for the news of John's
success had been told from mouth to mouth. The King ordered the
Hermit's chains to be removed, and he and his pupil were treated with
utmost honor. But they refused all gifts which the monarch made them;
and he was annoyed.
In the morning John and the Hermit went once more to see their patient.
They found him and the little Princess playing with the kittens, and
both looked up with a smile when the visitors entered. But at sight of
John the Prince's color faded and the smile died on his lips. John
bore the white pigeon in his hands, and going to the bedside bent over
the Prince with a gay manner.
"You are better?" he asked.
The Prince's eyes looked into his wonderingly.
"Why do you try to help me?" he asked. "Once I tried to kill you."
The little Princess gasped.
"I came to heal and help you if I could," said John, laughing. "I
brought my pets to cheer you. See, here is the dove of peace. She
brought me the message which has saved your life. Will you not love
her as I do?"
He placed the bird on the Prince's breast, and with a gentle coo the
creature nestled there confidingly. Tears came to the Prince's eyes.
"You are very good," he said. "I tried to kill your pets in the
forest."
"O brother!" cried the little maid, clasping her hands with a sob.
"How could you!"
"Let us forget that," said John brightly. "Let us be friends. You
will get well and learn to love the animals for their own sake."
"Oh, yes!" said the little girl. "I never saw any before, but how can
one help loving these dear little pets,--and the lovely bird?" She
stroked the white feathers tenderly.
But the Prince covered his face with his hands and seemed to be
weeping. "I cannot forget!" he said brokenly.
John felt very uncomfortable. "If only I could make him laugh, now!"
he thought. Then an idea came to him,--a funny idea which made his
eyelids quiver and the brown spot wink.
With a twist of his body he suddenly stood upon his head at the foot of
the Prince's couch, and, waving his feet in the air, began to walk
about the chamber on his hands. The Prince uncovered his eyes and
gazed in astonishment at such antics.
Presently John regained his feet, and kissing his hand began to turn
somersaults vigorously all about the apartment. The little Princess
clapped her hands and began to laugh. The Prince watched him,
fascinated. Presently, as John's high spirits broke out into fuller
pranks and gyrations, the Prince's lips quivered. He began to grin.
"Oh, you are a tumbler," he said. "I am glad you have come here! Do
it again."
So John did it again; and this time the Prince, watching him, echoed
the gay laugh of the little Princess. "It is as good as a play," he
said, feebly wiping the tears of merriment from his cheeks. "I wish I
could do it myself!"
[Illustration: I wish I could do it myself!]
"You must get well first," said John, laughing.
"I will try," said the Prince, with a new spirit in his tone. And from
that moment he began to grow stronger.
Now came days when the palace was much happier than it had been for
years. The presence of the animals was in itself a joy to the King's
people, long starved for the lack of pets. And John's sunny face and
quaint smile were reflected on all about him. There is nothing so
catching as good humor, and John started an epidemic which spread
through the palace, and indeed through the whole city. No one knew how
it happened. But before long the flaxen-haired boy was the pet of the
whole town. Not only was he welcome always in the Prince's chamber,
but every door at which he knocked opened gladly to him, and he was at
home wherever he went.
Only the King held aloof. He had grown strangely grim and sullen since
his son's cure was assured. The King was jealous.
What with the animals to play with and John's tumbling, the Prince was
continually in gales of laughter, and every day he grew plumper and
more rosy. Sometimes it was Brutus who amused him; often the cat and
kittens, his first friends. The raven became a great favorite after
his introduction to the Prince, which happened in this wise.
John had delayed to bring the bird into the royal chamber, he was so
mischievous. But one day when the Prince seemed very merry, John
slipped out and fetched the black fellow on his shoulder. On being
invited to do so, the raven hopped gravely to the foot of the bed,
where he perched, eyeing the Prince with little round eyes and head
cocked knowingly.
Presently the bird gave a queer screech, and began to imitate John's
own laughter so exactly that the Prince shook with mirth. At this the
raven stood upon one leg gravely, and began to sidle along the
footboard of the bed. Presently he spied some fruit carved on the
wooden uprights, and making a dart began to peck at the pears and
peaches. Then, discovering his mistake, once more he began to chuckle,
this time so heartily that he seemed ready to have a fit. And as he
listened the Prince's mouth widened and he burst into roars of laughter.
"Hush, you foolish bird!" said John reprovingly. "Be not so noisy in a
Prince's chamber. It is not good manners!" and he threw his
handkerchief over the raven's head.
But the Prince protested. "Let him do his pleasure," he said,
laughing. "I have not seen anything so funny for many a day. I shall
teach him many tricks."
So the raven stayed with the Prince, and learned many tricks. And the
carrier pigeon stayed. And the others stayed,--all but the wolf, who
would never leave John,--making themselves quite at home on the
Prince's velvet couch. And the little Princess played with them,
enjoying the happiest hours of her life.
One only of the animals the Prince had not seen. The Hermit and John
agreed that until he was stronger he must not see the bear whom he had
once tried to kill. For they knew that now it would make the Prince
sad and ashamed to remember that day in the forest. Such a change had
come upon the young man! He was no longer hard and cruel, but tender
and affectionate.
The King felt the change, and it made him angry.
XXIV
THE KING
Daily, as the Prince grew stronger, he became more and more devoted to
the animals, to John and the good Hermit. He could scarcely bear them
out of his sight. When they were with him his face lighted with
smiles, and he seemed to blossom as a flower does in sunshine. Only in
the presence of the King he grew silent and sad once more. The light
passed from his eyes as he looked at the grim old man. A visit from
the King was almost enough to undo the good effects of a whole day of
happiness.
The King knew this, and it made him furious. He did not see that it
was his own fault; that it was the badness in him which made the Prince
shrink. He thought it was the doing of some one else. He grew to hate
the Hermit and John and the animals, of whom his son and daughter were
so fond. In his heart he cared little for any one. He had never loved
the Princess Clare, and the Prince was dear only because one day he
would be king. Yet Robert hated to see them love any one else.
The King was resolved to put an end to this state of things as soon as
might be. But he dared not do anything yet for fear of causing his son
to fall ill again. He sat and brooded and planned in his wicked heart
what he would do when the Prince should be well once more. And for him
the time went slowly which others found so happy.
Of all this the Prince and John guessed nothing. For the King seemed
to them no more gruff and grum than usual. All the wishes of the
strangers were regarded, and they were treated like distinguished
guests in the palace. But the Hermit kept his eyes open. And one
other was not blind to the King's hatred. Clare, the little Princess
who had never been loved by her father, knew the meaning of the black
looks which he sometimes cast upon the two forest-comers, and her heart
was uneasy, for she loved them both.