Lydia’s eyes sparkled in anticipation. A slave! She fixed her eyes on the doorway, and was very much disappointed at the appearance of her own mother in answer to the summons.
“Not you, not you, Mrs. Blake,” said Dr. Wolfe, laughing. “That was meant to call the slave of the Princess-Without-Legs.”
“Who?” asked Mrs. Blake, opening her eyes as wide as Lydia’s. “Princess who?”
“It’s me, Mother, it’s me,” Lydia called out. “I’m the Princess-Without-Legs, and this is Dr. Wolfe, and I’m going to have a slave.”
“Well,” said Mrs. Blake, smiling at the Princess, “you are? And where is the slave?”
“I’ll fetch him,” said Dr. Wolfe briskly, disappearing into the bedroom, where Lydia could hear him talking in a low voice.
Presently he reappeared followed by Mr. Blake, and in his arms Dr. Wolfe carried a big brown furry rabbit with glittering yellow glass eyes.
“Your slave, Princess,” said Dr. Wolfe, putting him on the bed beside Lydia, who fell to stroking the soft fur. “He will take his head off for you if needs be, he’s that faithful. Try and see.”
Lydia gently lifted off the rabbit’s head and peeped inside. He was filled with red and green and white candies.
“You may think these are candies, Princess,” said Dr. Wolfe with a twinkle in his eye, “but they are far more than that. They are magic pellets, an offering of your devoted slave. The red pellets will make you brave if your ankle gives you pain. The white ones will keep you happy and cheerful so long as you have to lie still. And the green ones are for good luck. They must be taken three times a day, one of each kind after each meal, and you must take your after-breakfast dose now.”