"Never mind!" purred the Queen, "we'll forgive him—won't we, Edna?"
"Of course you only said that about Miss Heritage to tease us?" said Edna, who really believed it was so.
"I said but the truth, Princess," he replied. "She has promised to be my wife."
"And the match," put in the triumphant Fairy, addressing Queen Selina, "already has your sanction!"
"Oh," said the Queen, "but that was before—I think," she went on with a forced smile of much sweetness—"I think you and I, my dear Court Godmother, must have a little talk over this in private before I can make up my mind what I ought to do. Perhaps you will be kind enough to follow me to my Cabinet? Excuse my deserting you for a little while, my dear Mirliflor. I shall leave you to Edna, who, I know, is dying to express all the gratitude and admiration she feels."
And she swept with great stateliness out of the Throne Room towards her Cabinet, the Court Godmother following with a presentiment that her pet scheme was about to encounter some opposition, and no very definite idea how to meet it.
But that it must and should be overcome somehow she was thoroughly determined.
It should be mentioned here that, shortly after his transformation, Mirliflor found inside his rich doublet something which proved to be the Chamberlain's cap. He was about to return it, but the Baron showed so little desire to receive his property in public that the Prince decided to keep it until a better opportunity presented itself. And then he forgot all about it, for which, as things turned out, both had reason to be thankful afterwards.