THE FOURTH NIGHT
THE RAGPICKER AND THE PRINCESS
THE Queen said, “Domino!” very sweetly, and smiled at the Second Lady in Waiting, who was much chagrined.
“I don’t see how I could have been so stupid,” said the Second Lady in Waiting.
“Indeed, my dear,” said the Queen, kindly, “I don’t think you were nearly so stupid as usual.”
At this moment the Princess Dorobel, with Prince Bilbo and their son Bojohn, and the latter’s friend Bodkin, came in from the throne room, and the Princess Dorobel, standing behind the Queen’s chair, said:
“Mother, we are going to hear a story, and Bojohn insists that you—”
“Yes, grandmother!” said Bojohn. “We are going to ask Solario for another story, and you must come along too.”
“Dear me,” said the Queen. “I must put away the dominoes first.”
She stacked them neatly in the box, one by one, and when this was done she rose, and Bojohn took her arm and led her through the throne room where the King was engaged at chess with the Lord Chamberlain.
“My dear,” said the Queen to the King, “you had better come with us. We are going to—”