Elated by the favor with which her new law was received, the queen, whose name, by the way, was Nalie, concluded to make another change, and a big one, at that.
Hitherto none of the males born in Hez had been allowed to marry under any consideration.
Consequently the race was fast dying out, as very few men from the outside world came to the strange country, and when they did, it was merely by accident.
When her majesty issued this edict, she announced that her reason for doing so was to keep the race in existence forever.
This, too, met with the approval of the Hezzians.
The day soon arrived which the queen had fixed when all those who desired to enter a state of matrimony could do so, and nearly all the unmarried ones took advantage of it.
The building in which dwelt the supposed founder of the Hez race, Roderique de Amilo, who was to perform the ceremony, was a circular one, and contained but two rooms. The rest of the space was taken up by a broad hall, which opened at either end of the house.
There were no seats of any kind in the hall, and, consequently, all had to stand up.
When Leo, whom the queen had chosen for her future husband, and Nalie arrived, De Amilo had just commenced to marry some of the Hezzians to the maidens they had chosen.
The ceremony was about the same as the Spanish one of to-day, only it was somewhat shorter.