"Well," said the King, "since you are so kind as to ask me, I prefer champagne to anything else."
Then Duchess Grumbly took up a little hammer and tapped upon the cask twice, and out came at least a thousand crowns.
"What's the meaning of this?" said she, smiling.
Then she tapped the next cask, and out came a bushel of gold pieces.
"I don't understand this at all," said the Duchess, smiling more than before.
Then she went on to the third cask, tap, tap, and out came such a stream of diamonds and pearls that the ground was covered with them.
"Ah!" she cried, "this is altogether beyond my comprehension, sire. Some one must have stolen my good wine and put all this rubbish in its place."
"Rubbish, do you call it, Madam Grumbly?" cried the King. "Rubbish! why there is enough there to buy ten kingdoms."
"Well," said she, "you must know that all those casks are full of gold and jewels, and if you like to marry me it shall all be yours."
Now the King loved money more than anything else in the world, so he cried joyfully: