The gentleman looked at his watch. "Time's up, Mrs. Hexer," he said, as
he put it back in his pocket. "By virtue of this document, signed by
your blood----"
"It isn't my blood," the Queen said, when, all of a sudden, the hut
vanished away over her head, and she found herself standing in the open
air among the sand-dunes, amid a large crowd of people; whilst the two
men, shepherd and prince, were lying tumbled on the sand, for the well
on which they had been seated had disappeared.
But the most astonishing thing was what happened to the gentleman in
black, for he suddenly changed into a black demon and advanced roaring
towards her, until something seemed to stop him, and he changed just as
suddenly back into the gentleman that he had been before.
"I see there has been some mistake," he said, bowing and placing his
hand upon his heart. Then he knelt upon the ground. "Be mine! be mine!"
he said. "Oh, most adorable maiden, be mine; marry me, and I will
reform; I'll give up smoking; I'll never swear; I'll--I'll go to
church--only marry me."
"I can't," the Queen said. "Don't be ridiculous and kneel; I never let
the Regents kneel."
"You can marry me--you can," the gentleman said. "I can marry while I'm
on earth. Of course, down below it's different. But I'll keep regular
hours; I'll be most respectable--I will, if you'll only marry me."
"I tell you I can't," the Queen said; "I don't know what I've done to
make you go on in this ridiculous way."
"It's the elixir. You've been drinking it, you know," the demon
gentleman said; "and so I can't help it. But if you won't marry me,
madam, perhaps we can do a little business in my line. I pride myself
that my system is the very best--the seven years' purchase system, you
know."
"I don't understand you at all," the Queen said.
"Why, it's very simple. You give me what I want, and I will re-erect
for you the desirable family residence that stood here, with all its
advantages--the delightfully secluded spot, the landscape, the well of
pure water, and the fowl-house with its stock of geese. Come, let me
fill you up a form."
"Yes, but what do I have to do for it?" the Queen said.