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116 |
THE GREEN FAIRY BOOK. |
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At last they drove rapidly into a large town, which Prince Manikin had no douht was the capital of the kingdom. News of his approach had evidently been received, for all the inhabitants were at their doors and windows, and all the little spaniels had climbed upon the wall and gates to see him arrive. The prince was delighted with the hearty welcome they gave him and looked round .him with the deepest interest. After passing through a few wide streets, well paved and adorned with avenues of fine trees, they drove into the court-yard of a grand palace, which was full of spaniels who were evidently soldiers. "The king's body-guard," thought the prince to himself as he returned their salutations, and then the carriage stopped and he was shown into the presence of the king, who lay upon a rich Persian carpet surrounded by several little spaniels, who were occupied in chasing away the flies lest they should disturb his majesty.
He was the most beautiful of all spaniels, with a look of sadness in his large eyes, which quite disappeared as he sprang up to welcome Prince Manikin with every demonstration of delight; after which he made a sign to his courtiers, who came one by one to pay their respects to the visitor. The prince thought that he would find himself puzzled as to how he should carry on a conversation, but as soon as he and the king were once more left alone a secretary of state was sent for, who wrote from his majesty's dictation a most polite speech, in which he regretted much that they were unable to converse except in writing, the language of dogs being difficult to understand. As for the writing, it had remained the same as the prince's own.
Manikin thereupon wrote a suitable reply, and then begged the king to satisfy his curiosity about all the strange things he had seen and heard since his landing. This appeared to awaken sad recollections in the king's mind, but he informed the prince that he was called King Bayard, and that a fairy, whose kingdom was next his
own, had fallen violently in love with him and had done all she could to persuade him to marry her; but that he could not do so, as he himself was the'devoted lover of the Queen of the Spice Islands. Finally the fairy, furious at the indifference with which her love was treated, had reduced him to the state in which the prince fonnd him, |
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