"Then why has she never spoken to me?" asked the King in astonishment.
"You wished for the most silent woman in the world," said the Wise Woman of the Wood. "Now that you have found her, why do you complain?"
For the first time in his life King Grumbelo felt distinctly foolish.
"I made a mistake," he owned. "I don't want a silent Queen at all."
"Then go back and tell her so," said the witch woman, promptly.
"Do you think that will make her come out from her house of rose leaves?" asked King Grumbelo.
"I should n't wonder," said the Wise Woman of the Wood; "but go and see for yourself. There is no need to thank me, for any one who takes the trouble to follow the Wise Woman of the Wood to her home is welcome to what he may find when he gets there."
Indeed, before he had time to thank her he found himself once more outside the tree, with his crown lying at his feet and his horse standing at his side. He was in such a hurry to get back to the Lady Whimsical, however, that he did not stay to pick up his crown, but rode bareheaded all through the night and reached the hedge of sweet-briar and honeysuckle precisely at two hours after sunrise.
"Dear, dear," complained the dragon; "do you mean to say you 've come back again?"
"I have some good news for you," said King Grumbelo, jovially. "There is no spell over the Lady Whimsical after all!"