Merriwig, simple man, mistook his emotions.
"I see," he said, "that you are appalled by the difficulty of the ordeal in front of you. You may well be so. You have known his Royal Highness longer than I have, but even in our short acquaintance I have discovered that he takes a hint with extraordinary slowness. To bring it home to him with the right mixture of tact and insistence that Araby needs his immediate presence—alone—may well tax the most serpentine of minds."
"I can but try it," said the serpentine one simply.
The King jumped up and shook him warmly by the hand.
"You think you can do it?" he said excitedly.
"If Prince Udo does not start back to Araby to-morrow——"
"Alone," said Merriwig.
"Alone—then I shall have failed in my task."
* * * * *
"My dear," said the King to his daughter as she kissed him good-night that evening, "I believe you are going to marry a very wise young man."