"If your Majesty will be graciously pleased to sign it here."
So the Queen sat down at a table and signed the crackling paper "Eldrida—Queen."
"I never sign it 'Eldrida R.,'" she said. "It's ridiculous to sign it in a language that isn't one's own. Now I suppose you want me to sign a paper appointing you Regent?"
The Lord Blackjowl looked at her from under his shaggy eyebrows.
"That was included in the paper your Majesty has been graciously pleased to sign."
"But I didn't know anything about it," the Queen said hotly. "Now that's deceiving, and I shall never be able to trust anything you give me to sign without reading it. I've a good mind to take it back again."
"I assure your Majesty," the lord answered, with a low bow, "I merely wished to save your Majesty the trouble of twice appending your gracious signature when once would suffice."
"But why didn't you tell me what was in it?" she asked, a little mollified.
"Merely because your Majesty took the words out of my mouth, if I may so say."
The Queen said, "Well, and what else do you want me to do?"