WHEN the ladies left, and the prince and the other gentlemen were alone,
the ambassador appeared more gloomy than ever. At last he took the
prince into a corner, on pretence of showing him a rare statue. “Does
your royal highness not know,” he asked, “that you are in considerable
danger?” “Still?” said the prince, thinking of the Firedrake.
The ambassador did not know what he meant, for _he_ had never heard
of the fight, but he answered gravely: “Never more than now.” Then he
showed the prince two proclamations, which had been posted all about
the town. Here is the first:
TO ALL LOYAL SUBJECTS.
Whereas,
Our eldest son, Prince Prigio, hath of late been guilty of
several high crimes and misdemeanours.
First: By abandoning the post of danger against the
Firedrake, whereby our beloved sons, Prince Alphonso and
Prince Enrico, have perished, and been overdone by that
monster.
Secondly: By attending an unseemly revel in the town of
Gluckstein, where he brawled in the streets.
Thirdly: By trying to seduce away the hearts of our loyal
subjects in that city, and to blow up a party against our
crown and our peace.
[Illustration: Page 61]
This is to give warning,
That whoever consorts with, comforts, aids, or abets the
said Prince Prigio, is thereby a partner in his treason; and
That a reward of Five Thousand Purses will be given to
whomsoever brings the said prince, alive, to our Castle of
Falkenstein.
Grognio R.
And here is the second proclamation:
Reward. The firedrake. _Whereas_,
Our dominions have lately been devastated by a Firedrake
(the _Salamander Furiosus_ of Buffon);
_This is to advise all_,
That whosoever brings the horns and tail of the said
Firedrake to our Castle of Falkenstein, shall receive Five
Thousand Purses, the position of Crown Prince, with the
usual perquisites, and the hand of the king’s niece, the
Lady Molinda.
Grognio R.
“H’m,” said the prince; “I did not think his majesty wrote so well;”
and he would have _liked_ to say, “Don’t you think we might join the
ladies?”
“But, sir,” said the ambassador, “the streets are lined with soldiers;
and I know not how you have escaped them. _Here_, under my roof, you
are safe for the moment; but a prolonged stay--excuse my
inhospitality--could not but strain the harmonious relations which
prevail between the Government of Pantouflia and that which I have the
honour to represent.”
“We don’t want to fight; and no more, I think, do you,” said the prince,
smiling.
“Then how does your royal highness mean to treat the proclamations?”
“Why, by winning these ten thousand purses. I can tell you £1,000,000
is worth having,” said the prince. “I ‘ll deliver up the said prince,
alive, at Falkenstein this very night; also the horns and tail of the
said Firedrake. But I don’t want to marry my Cousin Molly.”
“May I remind your royal highness that Falkenstein is three hundred
miles away? Moreover, my head butler, Benson, disappeared from the house
before dinner, and I fear he went to warn Captain Kopzoffski that you
are _here!_”
“That is nothing,” said the prince; “but, my dear Lord Kelso, may I
not have the pleasure of presenting Lady Rosalind with a little gift, a
Philippine which I lost to her last night, merely the head and tail of a
Firedrake which I stalked this morning?”
The ambassador was so astonished that he ran straight upstairs,
forgetting his manners, and crying:
“Linda! Linda! come down at once; here’s a surprise for you!”
Lady Rosalind came sweeping down, with a smile on her kind face. _She_
guessed what it was, though the prince had said nothing about it at
dinner.
“Lead the way, your royal highness!” cried the ambassador; and the
prince offering Lady Rosalind his arm, went out into the hall, where he
saw neither his carpet nor the horns and tail of the Firedrake!
He turned quite pale, and said:
“Will you kindly ask the servants where the little Persian prayer-rug
and the parcel which I brought with me have been placed?”
Lord Kelso rang the bell, and in came all the servants, with William,
the under-butler, at their head.
“William,” said his lordship, “where have you put his royal highness’s
parcel and his carpet?”
“Please, your lordship,” said William, “we think Benson have took them
away with him.”
“And where is Benson?”
“We don’t know, your lordship. We think he have been come for!”
“Come for--by whom?”
William stammered, and seemed at a loss for a reply.
“Quick! answer! what do you know about it?”
William said at last, rather as if he were making a speech:
“Your royaliness, and my lords and ladies, it was like this. His
royaliness comed in with a rug over his arm, and summat under it. And
he lays it down on that there seat, and Thomas shows him into the
droring-room. Then Benson says: ‘Dinner’ll be ready in five minutes; how
tired I do feel! ‘Then he takes the libbuty of sitting hisself down
on his royaliness’s rug, and he says, asking your pardon, ‘I ‘ve
had about enough of service here. I ‘m about tired, and I thinks of
bettering myself. I wish I was at the king’s court, and butler.’
[Illustration: Page 65]
But before the words was out of his mouth, off he flies like a shot
through the open door, and his royaliness’s parcel with him. I run to
the door, and there he was, flying right hover the town, in a northerly
direction. And that’s all I know; for I would not tell a lie, not if it
was hever so. And me, and Thomas--as didn’t see it,--and cook, we thinks
as how Benson was come for. And cook says as she don’t wonder at it,
neither; for a grumblinger, more ill-conditioneder--”
“Thank you, William,” said Lord Kelso; “that will do; you can go, for
the present.”
[Illustration: Chapter Thirteen]