"Your majesty, the royal banquet is waiting," insinuated the lord
high chamberlain, returning, and bending over until his face and
his shoe buckles almost touched.
"And what is to be done with this prisoner, while we are eating
it?" growled the dwarf, looking drawn swords at his liege lady.
"He can remain here under care of the guards, can he not?" she
retorted sharply. "Or, if you are afraid they are not equal to
taking care of him, you had better stay and watch him yourself."
With which answer, her majesty sailed majestically away, leaving
the gentleman addressed to follow or not, as he pleased. It
pleased him to do so, on the whole; and he went after her,
growling anathemas between his royal teeth, and evidently in the
same state of mind that induces gentlemen in private life to take
sticks to their aggravating spouses, under similar circumstances.
However, it might not be just the thing, perhaps, for kings and
queens to take broom-sticks to settle their little differences of
opinion, like common Christians; and so the prince peaceably
followed her, and entered the salle a manger with the rest, and
Sir Norman and his keepers were left in the hall of state,
monarchs of all they surveyed.
Pages:
187
188
189
190
191
192
193
194
195
196
197
198
199
200
201
202
203
204
205
206
207
208
209
210
211