"Our Lord let it happen out of compassion. He saw that his burden was too heavy for him."
There was no time to explain further, for now Jan stood in the doorway, and behind him was the gang of youngsters, who wanted to see how this meeting, which they had so often heard him picture, would be in reality.
The Emperor of Portugallia did not go straight up to his daughter but stopped just inside the door and delivered his speech of welcome.
"Welcome, welcome, O queen of the Sun! O rich and beautiful Glory
Goldie!"
The words were delivered with that stilted loftiness which dignitaries are wont to assume on great occasions. All the same, there were tears of joy in Jan's eyes and he had hard work to keep his voice steady.
After the well-learned greeting had been recited the Emperor rapped three times on the floor with his imperial stick for silence and attention, whereupon he began to sing in a thin, squeaky voice.
Glory Goldie had drawn close to Katrina. It was as if she wished to hide herself, to crawl out of sight behind her mother. Up to this she had kept silence, but when Jan started to sing she cried out in terror and tried to stop him. Then Katrina gripped her tightly by the arm.
"Leave him alone!" she said. "He has been comforted by the hope of singing this song to you ever since you first became lost to us."
Then Glory Goldie held her peace and let Jan continue:
"The Empress's father, for his part,
Feels so happy in his heart.
Austria, Portugal, Metz, Japan,
Read the newspapers, if you can.
Boom, boom, boom, and roll.
Boom, boom."