“King Selim is to be taken at once to the coast,” she said, “and put into a boat, with oars and a sail, and enough food for several days. He is to row or sail away from my kingdom, and never to come back here. If he does so, he is to be executed. Take him away.”
That was all, and she waited for her commands to be carried out before speaking again. She had given the miserable creature his title. He was a King, though not King of Toyland. He had been cast on the shores of her island destitute and solitary, and had been right royally treated. And he had repaid her as we have seen. But she made no accusation against him. He was simply to be sent away.
The wretched being was led off by the two soldiers who had guarded him. He went without a word. He knew that his life had been most mercifully spared, for he could row or sail to land in a few hours, or be picked up by a ship. Let us hope that he felt some compunction for his many crimes. He passed out of the hall between the two guards, the great door clanged after him, and he was seen no more.
The Queen’s face changed as she turned towards Rose. Selim was a foreigner, and in getting rid of him she had done all that she needed to do. But Rose was her own subject, and must be dealt with in a different fashion.
“As for you,” she said, “you must stand your trial according to the laws of the land. If you choose to stand it now, with me for your judge, you may do so. Say whatever you please in your own defence, and I will listen to you. If not, I wash my hands of you, and you will be sent to prison to await your trial by jury.”
It was an extraordinary act of clemency for the Queen to deal with Rose’s case herself, and no doubt Rose knew that she would get more merciful treatment than if her crimes were left to the judgment of a jury of dolls, who could not help being furious with her for what she had done.
But all she said, in a voice of scorn, was, “Oh, try me now, and finish it. I have done what I have done, and I wish I had succeeded. As I’ve failed, do what you like with me.”
The Queen looked at her with her calm, steady gaze, and Rose’s eyes dropped before it. “I am more sorry for you than you are for yourself,” the Queen said. “I know that you have been led away by spite and jealousy, and those are feelings that cause great unhappiness to whoever possesses them. It is your misfortune that you have those bad qualities, but it is in your power to conquer them. It is my hope that you will succeed in doing so. Go! You are free.”
The guards on either side of Rose fell away from her. She stood staring at the Queen with wide eyes, as if she could hardly believe what had been said to her. Then she realized that she was free, to go where she liked, and that she was not to be punished at all. She covered her face with her hands and burst into tears, and then hurried away out of the hall. Her proud and rebellious spirit would not have quailed before any punishment that might have been meted out to her, but the punishment would have left her no better than she had been before. But the free pardon, which she could never have expected, had broken her down. It was to be hoped that she would really repent of her bad ways now, and be a better doll than she had ever been before.
When Rose had left the hall, the Queen’s face lightened. “All that is left for me now,” she said, “is to thank such of my subjects as have been so active and successful in setting me free from the plots that have surrounded me. And first of all, I must thank the dear little girl who is not my subject, but has come here on a visit to find us in trouble that is now at an end. She must come again. That is the only way in which I can reward her.”