“That is good news,” said the Captain, “are you sure it is true?”
“Quite sure,” said Lightning, “for I saw Okla of Oakdale, and he told me that the King is now visiting Elmsdale; and from Elmsdale he’s coming to Oakdale; and from Oakdale he’s coming to Mount Fern.”
“That is really good news!” said the Captain.
“And what shall we do to entertain him?” asked Rainbow.
“Nothing at all,” said the Captain, “for when the King goes visiting he always takes his entertainers with him. He has his own musicians, his own jesters, and his own actors.
“The King does this in his own defence, for he says it is a King’s privilege not to be entertained unless he wants to be. So we’ll only have to receive him.”
“Shall I make a poem for him?” asked Rhymo.
“Not at all,” said the Captain, “for he has his own Court poet, who is the best in the world, and if he wants a poem he has only to say so.”
“Won’t we have anything extra to do before he comes?” asked the flower-elf.
“Oh, yes!” replied the Captain, “and you especially, Iris-Wing, will be very busy, for the King is most particular about the care of plants, and if a single plant is neglected it makes him unhappy. So I want Templeton Garden to be a perfect bower of well-kept plants when the King comes to visit us.”