In Brief Authority 3

	In Brief Authority 3

"_Coronation!_" Mrs. Wibberley-Stimpson almost screamed. "Before we have so much as had our breakfast! And in these things we are wearing now! I never heard of anything so preposterous!" "I don't care much myself," said Mr. Stimpson, "about being crowned on an empty--without having had something to eat--if it's only an egg." "If they're going to crown the Guv'nor in a dinner-jacket and white tie," Clarence muttered to Edna, "we shall never hear the last of it, that's all!" "There is nothing to make a fuss about, my dear," said the Court Godmother to Mrs. Wibberley-Stimpson, as though she were addressing a froward child; "look behind you, and you will see that everything you may require is already provided." They looked and saw two velvet Marquees, one striped in broad bands of apple-green and mazarine blue, the other in pale rose and cream, which a party of attendants had just finished putting up. "In those pavilions," continued the Fairy, "you will find not only food prepared for you, but robes such as are fitting for a Coronation. You will have plenty of time both to eat and change your dress before the procession can possibly arrive." "She's not likely to have got our measurements right," grumbled Mrs. Wibberley-Stimpson to her eldest daughter, as they moved towards the rose-and-cream Pavilion. "I should have much preferred to be fitted by a Court dressmaker. Such a mistake to rush things like this! I rather like that Marshal, Edna; there's something very gentlemanly and straightforward about him, though I can't see why he shouldn't wear a proper uniform instead of that absurd armour." "Shan't be sorry to get some breakfast, my boy," Mr. Stimpson remarked, as he and Clarence were making for the other marquee; "I feel a bit peckish after being so long in the night air." "I should like a tub first, Guv'nor." "I'm afraid," said Mr. Stimpson, "that's expecting too much in these parts." However, on entering, they discovered, in addition to the delicacies and gorgeous costumes laid out for them, two great crystal baths filled with steaming water which exhaled a subtle but delicious perfume. "Doing us proud, eh, Guv'nor?" was Clarence's comment on the general luxuriousness; and his father admitted that "everything seemed to have been done regardless of expense." While the male and female members of the Royal Party were enjoying the privacy of their respective tents, the Marshal outside was expressing his sentiments to the Court Chamberlain with much vigour and freedom. "Well, Baron," he began, "this is a great service you have done Märchenland, and I hope you are feeling proud of yourself!" "Oh, as for that, Marshal," modestly replied the ingenuous Baron, "I have done no more than my duty." "The devil take you and your duty," growled the Marshal. "Why, in the name of all the fiends, couldn't you have left things as they were?" "But, Marshal," the Baron protested, "when our learned Astrologer Royal discovered the whereabouts of our lawful Queen, you were loudest in approval of my expedition!" "How could I oppose, after you had been gabbling and cackling about it to the whole Court, and it had even reached the ears of the people? Besides, I was given to understand that this daughter of Chrysopras's was a mere girl. If she _had_ been--But what have you brought us?--a middle-aged matron with a husband and family!" "I own it was not what I had expected," said the Baron; "but since it was so, what could I do but bring them all?" "Do? Left them where they were, of course--come back and said that that little fool of a Xuriel had made a miscalculation, as he generally does!" "I should have been a traitor had I thus denied my Queen. For, as you have seen, she bears on her breast the very jewel of her father the Prince, even as the stars foretold." "Undoubtedly she is his daughter," the Marshal admitted reluctantly. It never occurred to him for a moment--nor would it occur to any of his countrymen--that the pendant was anything but absolutely conclusive proof of Mrs. Wibberley-Stimpson's right to the throne. Märchenland notions of what constitutes legal evidence have always been and remain elementary. "But it's pretty plain," he went on, "that the young fool must have made a most unworthy marriage to have begotten one so utterly lacking in all queenliness and dignity." "She will soon acquire both," the Court Chamberlain affirmed stoutly, "as she becomes more accustomed to her position." "She may," declared the Marshal, "when a frog grows feathers. And this consort of hers! _Is_ he a fit Monarch for Märchenland? Even _you_, Baron, can hardly say that for him! I may not have been beloved as Regent, but at least I have made my authority respected. But what do such a couple as this know about ruling a country? They'll make a hopeless hash of it!" "Without guidance, perhaps," the Baron admitted; "but they will have the inestimable advantage, Marshal, of our experience and advice." "Ha!" said the Marshal. "So they will--so they will! I was forgetting that!" "No doubt they will submit to our guidance," went on the Baron, "and thus we shall be able to save them from any dangerous indiscretions." "Just so," agreed the Marshal, with the flicker of a smile. The Court Chamberlain, at all events, spoke in all sincerity. His hereditary instinct alone would have been enough to ensure his loyalty to his new Sovereigns, whatever he might think of them in private. And they were his own "finds," which gave them an added value in his estimation, as will easily be understood by any collector of curiosities. CHAPTER IV CROWNED HEADS "'Pon my word, my love," Mr. Stimpson exclaimed, as his wife came out of her pavilion in her Coronation Robes and chain, attended by the Court Godmother, "I should hardly have known you! You look majestic!--abso-lute-ly majestic!" "I wish I could say the same of _you_, Sidney," she replied; "but, as I have told you more than once, legs like yours never ought to be seen except in trousers.... Considering my own and my daughter's robes are ready-made, Mrs. Fogleplug, they might be worse. As for Miss Heritage's--well, I should have thought myself that something simpler would have been more appropriate." Daphne was naturally much less sumptuously dressed than the Members of the Royal family, but still, in her quaint double-peaked head-dress, fantastically slashed bodice, and long hanging sleeves, with her bright hair, too, waving loosely over her temples, its rich masses confined at the back by a network of pearls, she was dainty and bewitching enough to attract more than her due share of attention--Clarence's she attracted at once, while he was sustained by an agreeable conviction that his be-jewelled doublet, silken hose, white plumed velvet hat, and azure mantle set off his figure to unusual advantage. "Tophole, Miss Heritage!" he said, strolling up with graceful languor. "I'm not joking--you really _are_, you know! Wish _my_ kit suited me half as well! Can't help feeling a most awful ass in it, what?" "Really?" she said carelessly. "How unpleasant for you! But perhaps if you left off thinking about it----!" "Oh, I don't say it's so bad as all _that_!" "I didn't suppose it _was_, quite." Now this was not by any means the sort of deferential tribute he had counted upon, and he was a little ruffled by her failure to respond. "Didn't you," he replied distantly, if somewhat lamely. "You'll excuse me mentioning it, Miss Heritage, as it's only in your own interests, but I believe it's considered the proper thing when you're addressed by--by Royalty, don't you know, to throw in a 'Your Royal Highness' occasionally. Of course, Court Etiquette and that may be all tosh, but I didn't make it, and all I mean to say is--it won't do to let it slide." "Your Royal Highness will not have to rebuke me a second time," said Daphne, sinking to the ground in a curtsey which it is to be feared was wilfully exaggerated. "I'm afraid, sir," she added, as the two little creases in her cheeks made themselves visible, "that wasn't as low as it ought to have been, but your Royal Highness must make allowances for my want of experience." "Oh, you'll soon get into it," he said, "with practice." "And I shall have plenty of that, your Royal Highness." Was she trying to pull his leg? he thought, as he moved away, and decided that she was most unlikely to venture on such presumption. No, it had been necessary to remind her of the deference due to him, and she would not forget the lesson in future. Perhaps he might unbend occasionally in private, but, on second thoughts, that would be more dangerous than ever now. Ruby had seized Daphne and was embracing her in a burst of violent affection. "Oh, Miss Heritage, darling," she cried, "you do look such a duck in that dress--doesn't she, Mummy?" "I see no resemblance, my dear," said her mother coldly, "between Miss Heritage and any description of poultry. And, as the procession will be here in another minute, you had better take your place quietly by me.... Really, Ruby," she added in an undertone, as the child obeyed, "you must remember you're a Princess now. It isn't at all proper for you to be seen pawing your governess about in public." "I _wasn't_ pawing her about, Mums!" protested Ruby; "only hugging her. And if I mayn't do that, I don't want to be a Princess at all!" By this time the procession had arrived. It was headed by a band of knights in resplendent but rather extravagant armour, carrying lances with streaming pennons. After them rode the Courtiers on gaily caparisoned steeds, followed by a bevy of Maids of Honour on cream-coloured palfreys. A company of soldiers came next, some of whom bore heavy matchlocks of an ancient period, and the rest pikes and halberds. However, they marched with as proud and confident a step as though their weapons were of the very latest pattern--which very likely they thought they were. Following them was a State Coach, a huge, cumbrous vehicle with unglazed windows; it seemed to be of pure gold, and was drawn by sixteen milk-white horses in blue trappings. After the procession had halted, the Court Chamberlain formally presented the members of the Royal Household, whose mere titles sounded impressively on the ear of their new Mistress. There were Prince Tapfer von Schneiderleinheimer and Prince Hansmeinigel; Baron Müllerbürschen, Baron von Bohnenranken, and Count von Daumerlingstamm; Princess Rapunzelhauser, Princess Goldernenfingerleinigen, and Princess Flachspinnenlosburg; Baroness Belohnte von Haulemännerschen, Baroness Kluge Bauerngrosstochterheimer, and Countess Gänsehirten am Brunnen, and many others scarcely less distinguished. Never before had Mrs. Wibberley-Stimpson been in such aristocratic company, and for the moment she entirely forgot how immeasurably she was now their social superior. She had held her own triumphantly with Lady Harriet, but that was different. There was only one of _her_--and that one a quite ordinary and insignificant personality compared with these imposingly splendid lords and ladies-in-waiting. Mrs. Stimpson intended to be graciously cordial, but somehow her manner was dangerously near being obsequious. "Most _honoured_, I'm sure, Prince!" she found herself repeating, as she ducked instinctively. "So very kind of you to come, Baron!... It's more than delightful to meet you, dear Princess--I didn't quite catch your name!... _Such_ a privilege to make your acquaintance, Countess!" She hoped they would take this as condescension on her part, and they were undeniably surprised by their Sovereign's excessive affability. "Well," said Mr. Stimpson, as these amenities became exhausted and he perceived that no one was taking any notice of him, "what about making a start, hey, Mr. Marshal?" "If your Majesties and the Princess will deign to enter the coach, we can set forth at once," was the reply. "Get in, children, get in!" cried Mrs. Wibberley-Stimpson. "You and Ruby, Edna, must sit with your backs to the horses, and there will be plenty of room for Clarence between you." "With all respect, Sir," said the Marshal, as Clarence was preparing to get in. "It is the custom on such an occasion as this for the Crown Prince to ride on the right of the Coach. I have arranged that a horse shall be at your Royal Highness's service." "Thanks awfully," said Clarence, as he glanced at a spirited chestnut mare which two squires were endeavouring with some difficulty to soothe, "but--er--I think I'd rather drive." He was reflecting, as he took his seat in the coach, that he would really have to take a few riding lessons shortly, in private. "Isn't Miss Heritage coming with us, Mummy?" called Ruby from the window. "In the State Coach, my dear! Of course not!" "But why not, Mater?" protested Clarence. "There's lots of room." "Because I could not think of allowing it, Clarence. Perhaps Mrs. Fogleplug will be kind enough to give her a lift in--in her own conveyance." "Unfortunately," replied the Court Godmother, "my car will not hold more than one person." "Well, Miss Heritage must find her way to the Palace, then! There's no necessity for her to be present at the Coronation." "Surely, my dear," said the Fairy, "you would not deprive her of such a privilege! I will have another saddle placed on that mare so that this fair maid of yours may ride with your other ladies in waiting." "Of course, Mrs. Fogleplug, if you're _bent_ on Miss Heritage making a public exhibition of herself," said Mrs. Wibberley-Stimpson, "I have nothing to say. I don't suppose she has ever been on a horse in her life!" "Oh, but I have, Ma'am!" Daphne pleaded eagerly. "I've ridden ever since I was a child. And I'd love to ride that mare, if I may!" "Oh, very _well_, Miss Heritage, ve-ry well. But remember, if you break your neck, _I_ shall not accept any responsibility," which Daphne took as a permission. As soon as Mr. and Mrs. Wibberley-Stimpson had taken their seats, the sixteen milk-white horses began to pull and strain till eventually the great coach was on the way. "Mummy," cried Ruby a little later, "I can see Miss Heritage! She's riding close behind. And oh, she _does_ look so sweet on horseback!" "Put your head in,--do, child!" said her mother sharply. "Whatever will the people think if they see a Princess hanging half out of the window like that!" Ruby sat down rather sullenly. Clarence would have liked to put his own head out if it had been consistent with his dignity as a Prince. As it was, he could only hope that Daphne would come to no harm. "Really!" continued Mrs. Wibberley-Stimpson, "what with one's governess riding behind one's coach, and those two ridiculous bird-cars probably flapping overhead, this is _quite_ unlike any Coronation Procession _I_ ever heard of!" "More like a bally Circus," remarked Clarence. "Only wants a couple of clowns with bladders on horseback and a performing elephant." "_I_ consider," said his mother, "that a State procession should have more solemnity about it.... How horribly this coach jolts! It _can't_ have any springs!... There you are again, Edna, buried in that note-book! you might show a little interest in what is going on!" "I'm sorry, mother, but it all seems to mean so little to me." "Then all I can say is--good gracious, _what_ a lurch! I quite thought we were over!--all _I_ can say is that it's unnatural to be so abstracted as you are. We're getting close to Eswar--whatever they call it. If you look round you will see the walls and towers." Edna adapted her _pince-nez_ and turned perfunctorily for a moment. "_Quite_ quaint!" she said, and resumed her reading. "Picturesque, _I_ should call it," corrected her mother. "Sidney, doesn't it put you in mind of dear lovely Lucerne?" "Very much so, my love," he replied, "or--er--Venice" (neither of which cities, as a matter of fact, did Eswareinmal resemble in the least). "Hullo! what are we stopping for _now_, eh?" It seemed they had arrived at the principal gates of the Capital, where the Burgomaster and other civic dignitaries were assembled to welcome and to do them homage, which they did with every sign of respect and loyalty. As Mrs. Wibberley-Stimpson felt unequal to the efforts of responding, that duty devolved on her husband, who presented himself at the window of the coach, and made what the reporters, had any been present, would no doubt have described as "a few gracious and appropriate remarks." "You needn't have said that about 'doing our best to give satisfaction,' Sidney!" complained his wife after the coach had thundered over the drawbridge, and was lumbering under the massive archway into a narrow and crowded street, "for all the world as if we had been a butler and housekeeper applying for a situation!" "It _was_ a little unfortunate, perhaps, my dear," he admitted; "but it is so difficult to know what to say when one has to speak impromptu." "It ought to be easy enough to know what _not_ to say," she retorted. "Dear me, what hosts of people!" she went on, as her irritation merged into complacency. "And _how_ pleased they all seem to see us! But no doubt, after a bachelor Regent, a whole Royal family--I love to see their happy smiling faces!" "Grinning mugs would be nearer the mark, Mater," said Clarence; "never saw such a chuckle-headed lot of bumpkins in my life!" "I will thank you to remember, Clarence," she replied, "that they are my loyal subjects, and will be _yours_ at some time to come." "I can _wait_ for 'em," he said; "and if they're so jolly loyal, why ain't they cheering more?" Slowly the golden coach progressed through winding streets of gabled or step-roofed houses with toppling overhanging stories, then along one side of a great square, packed with people in costume, the women recalling to Mrs. Stimpson's mind, quite inappropriately, the waitresses at the Rigi Kulm hotel on a Sunday. Then, through more narrow streets, to a smaller square, where it stopped at some steps leading to the huge West portal of a magnificent buttressed Church. "All change here--for the Coronation!" said Clarence. "I'd better nip out first, eh, Mater?" "Your father and I get out first, naturally, Clarence," said Mrs. Wibberley-Stimpson, and descended majestically, Mr. Stimpson following with somewhat less effect owing to an attack of cramp in his left leg. Four small pages stepped forward in pairs to carry Mr. and Mrs. Stimpson's trains, which they found a distinct convenience, and, hand in hand, they passed through the great, elaborately niched and statued doorway into the nave. The interior was thronged by all the notables of Märchenland, including the venerable President of the Council and his Councillors. Above, the light struck in shafts through the painted windows of the clerestory, tinging the haze of incense fumes with faint colours. On the high altar twinkled innumerable tapers. "_Roman!_ as I suspected!" whispered Mrs. Wibberley-Stimpson on seeing them, and sniffing the scented atmosphere. (She had attended St. John's at Gablehurst, because the vicar, although Evangelical, was well-known to be of good family.) Under a crimson canopy in the choir were two golden chairs which they understood they were expected to sit upon, and occupied accordingly. A mitred and coped ecclesiastic, who appeared to be some kind of Bishop, then shepherded them benevolently through a series of mystic rites that, besides being hopelessly unintelligible, seemed unreasonably protracted. However, they reached the climax at last, and amidst the tumultuous acclamations of the spectators the previously anointed heads of King Sidney and Queen Selina, as they must henceforth be described, received their respective crowns. "Ha, well," remarked King Sidney, when he and the rest of the Royal family were once more in the coach, and on their way towards the palace that was to be their future home, "we got through it most successfully on the whole. Perhaps the Bishop was a little too lavish with the anointing part of the ceremony. Still, taken altogether, it was--ah--a very solemnising affair." "It would have been more so, Sidney," said the Queen, "if you hadn't kept on dropping your sceptre and tripping over your train. I don't wonder the Bishop got flustered. But I do wish we could have had it properly done by the dear Archbishop of Canterbury!" "Bit out of his diocese, Märchenland, what?" said the Crown Prince. "I'm aware of that, Clarence; and, of course, we're legally crowned, whoever did it.... Sidney, it's only just struck me, but I'm sure we ought to be bowing. Bow, children, all of you--take the time from me. Sidney, why aren't _you_ bowing?" "I can't, my love. It's difficult enough to keep my crown on as it is!" "You can hold it on with one hand, can't you? You simply _must_ bow if you don't want to be unpopular! So must _you_, children. Keep _on_ with it!" "Give us a rest, Mater," said Prince Clarence, after they had been nodding like Chinese mandarins for some minutes. "My neck's beginning to wilt already!" Queen Selina herself was not sorry to stop. "It's certainly very fatiguing at first," she admitted; "we must practise it together in private.... Was that old Mrs. Fogleplug's dove-chariot that passed us just now? I'm afraid I shall have to put her in her place. She's rather inclined to forget herself--not only addressed me as 'my dear,' but actually attempted to kiss me after the Coronation!" "So she did _me_!" said the Princess Royal, "but I hope I showed that I thought she was taking a liberty." "She's a very worthy, well-meaning old creature, no doubt," remarked the Queen; "still, a Fairy Godmother in these days is really _rather_--I shall have to get her to retire--on a pension." "She'll stick on," said Prince Clarence, "you see if she don't. Means to boss the whole show." "I shall soon let her see that I intend to be mistress in my own Kingdom," said the Queen. "I could wish, I must say, that it was just a little more up to date! Everything so dreadfully behind the times! I haven't seen a shop yet with a plate-glass front, and not a single pillar-box!" "Poor sort of place for Suffragettes, what?" observed Clarence. "Frivolity apart, Clarence," remarked the Queen, "I can see already that there is much to be done here before the country can be called really civilised. We must set ourselves to raise the standard by introducing modern ideas--enlighten people's minds, and all the rest of it. And you must do _your_ share, Sidney, as I shall do mine." "Certainly," said the King; "I'm agreeable. All for progress myself. Always have been.... I fancy that must be our Palace up there. A truly palatial residence--replete, I've no doubt, with every convenience we can require." The State Coach, after making a leisurely circuit of the two sides of the principal square, was now beginning the ascent of the steep zigzag road to the Palace, which stood on the terraced height of the plateau that commanded the city. The party in the coach caught glimpses of its massive but ornate towers with fantastic spires and turrets, and its great arched and columned wings of rose-tinted marble. As it was rather larger than Windsor Castle, King Sidney's commendation was fairly justified. But Queen Selina's mind was occupied in computing the probable number of rooms, and the maids that would be required to "do" them, while she wondered aloud whether they could possibly afford to keep such a place up. "Depend upon it, my dear," said the King, "the--ah--State will provide an ample allowance for all our expenses. I must go into that as soon as an opportunity occurs, and find out exactly what our income will be." Little more was said after this, as the great coach creaked and groaned slowly up the winding road, and then rolled through the golden gates into the courtyard of the Palace. On the steps of the chief entrance were Marshal Federhelm, Baron von Eisenbänden, and the Court Godmother, who, with the rest of the Royal household, had hastened on ahead to receive them. The Marshal ushered them into the Hall of Entrance, which was immense and cool. There they found the ladies and gentlemen-in-waiting drawn up in curtseying and bowing ranks. The colours of their gay costumes would have been dazzling, had they not been somewhat toned down by the subdued light from the windows, which were paned with transparent agate set in tracery of a flamboyant type. At the back rose a colossal staircase of jasper. On either side were lofty doors leading to vestibules, corridors, and reception halls. Judged by Gablehurst standards, the general effect of the interior was hardly 'home-y' or cosy enough to be perfectly satisfactory, as Queen Selina seemed to feel, for the only comment she made was: "_No_ china punch-bowl for visiting-cards, I see!" "I say," the Crown Prince inquired of the Marshal, "who's the small sportsman in the extinguisher hat?" he referred to an unassuming little man with long, lint-coloured hair and pale, prominent eyes, whose shiftiness was only partly concealed by large horn spectacles. He wore black and crimson robes embroidered in gold with Zodiacal signs. "Looks like the Editor of Old Moore's Almanack." "That, Sir," replied the Marshal, "is the learned Xuriel, our Astrologer Royal. Will your Majesties permit me to present him?" And, the Royal assent being given, he went across to fetch the sage. "Xuriel, my friend," he said in his ear, with a slightly ironical intonation, "the august Sovereigns who owe their discovery to your learning and research are naturally anxious to express their acknowledgements. So come along and be presented, and perhaps you will produce a better impression if you can manage to look a little less like a hare with the ear-ache." It was not, however, the prospect of being presented to Royalty that was disturbing the Astrologer Royal, but an unpleasant suspicion that the ex-Regent was, for some reason or other, a little annoyed with him. "Your Majesties will be interested to hear," explained the Marshal, after making the presentation, "that Master Xuriel was at one time noted for his skill as a magician." "My studies in Magic were never carried very far, your Majesties," protested the Astrologer, wriggling uncomfortably. "I--I did very little at it. And, even before it was decreed that all enchanters and sorcerers should either leave the Kingdom or take up some other profession, I had discovered that astrology was my true vocation." "And you were right," said the Marshal heartily, "as results have shown. And doubtless there is no truth in the rumour that you still retain some proficiency in the Black Art." "Absolutely none, your Majesties!" the Astrologer Royal declared. "What small skill I ever possessed, I have already forgotten; all my magic spells have long since been discarded." "So I should hope," said Queen Selina severely. "Mr. Wibber--I mean, his Majesty and I are, of course, no believers in Magic, but we are determined not to allow any superstitions practices here in future--are we not, Sidney?" "Certainly, my dear, certainly. Most undesirable. Of course, we don't object to ordinary conjuring--anything harmless of that sort. But take my advice, Sir, and stick to Astrology for the future--much more gentlemanly pursuit!" The Astrologer Royal promised to observe this recommendation, and just then the Court Chamberlain announced that a meal had been prepared for the Royal Family in the King's Parlour, to which he offered to conduct them at once. And, as the lengthy business of the Coronation had given them all excellent appetites, they readily welcomed the proposal. Princess Ruby, catching sight of Daphne in one of the groups, had begged that she might be included, which the Queen reluctantly granted as an exceptional indulgence. Daphne would gladly have excused herself had that been possible; she was becoming painfully conscious of finding Mrs. Wibberley-Stimpson as a Queen irresistibly ludicrous. Once already that morning she had only just escaped detection, and she was horribly afraid now that something might happen which would lead her to betray herself by unseemly laughter. She could only pray inwardly that it would not, as she followed with Ruby to the King's Parlour. This was a lofty hall with windows opening on to the terrace; the walls were composed of great slabs of malachite, and twisted columns of the same supported a ceiling of elaborately carved pink jade. At one end was a dais, where a table was spread with what King Sidney referred to somewhat disappointedly as "a cold snack," though he did it ample justice nevertheless. The Marshal sat on his right hand; at his back stood the Court Chamberlain, while chubby-faced little pages served cakes of bread on bended knee, and filled the golden goblets with Märchenland's choicest wines, which the King considered "a trifle on the sour side." The Royal Household looked on from a distance--to the exquisite discomfort of the Queen. "I really can't enjoy my food, Sidney," she complained in an undertone, "with every mouthful I take watched by all those members of the nobility!" Suddenly she coloured with annoyance as she found she was being addressed in a gruff, strangled voice from a quarter it was difficult at first to locate. "Mr. Troitz," she demanded, "_who_ is that ill-mannered person who seems to be trying to talk to Me with his mouth full?" "The voice, your Majesty," he replied in the most matter-of-fact tone, "appears to proceed from the boar's head." "How dare you try to impose on me by such a story? It's that wretched little astrologer man. Ventriloquism and Conjuring always go together, and I'll be bound he's underneath the table now!... Well," she said, after she had satisfied herself by looking, "if he's not there, he's somewhere in the room!" The Court Chamberlain assured her that the Astrologer Royal was not only absent, but incapable of such a liberty; it really _was_ the boar's head that had spoken, as animals in Märchenland would on rare occasions--even after suffering decapitation. "There was Falada, Mummy," cried Ruby eagerly. "Don't you remember? The horse that talked poetry after its head had been cut off and nailed over the arch! Miss Heritage can tell you all about it." But Miss Heritage could not--she was far too deeply engaged in wrestling with an inward demon of unholy mirth that threatened at any moment to gain the mastery. The head began again. But whatever felicitations, predictions, or warning it was striving to utter were rendered practically inarticulate by a large lemon that had been unfeelingly inserted between its jaws. "Have the boar's head removed at once, Mr. Troitz," ordered Queen Selina. "I cannot and will not have it interrupting the conversation like this. It couldn't happen at all in any _civilised_ country. Why, we shall have the cold tongue beginning next, I suppose!..." It was here that poor Daphne's demon got the upper hand. "You seem slightly hysterical, Miss Heritage," remarked the Queen. "Horse-exercise evidently has a very bad effect on your nerves, and I must forbid you to ride in future." Thus was Daphne punished for her breach of etiquette. But Queen Selina had no suspicion, even then, of its real extent. She was incapable of conceiving that she could possibly seem ridiculous to one so infinitely her inferior. CHAPTER V DIGNITY UNDER DIFFICULTIES The luncheon, after the removal of the too loquacious boar's head, proceeded, to Daphne's intense relief, without any further incident, and at its conclusion Queen Selina suggested a move to the terrace. One side of it faced the City far below; another the slope of the road leading immediately to the Courtyard, while from the third side steps descended by lower terraces to the Palace Gardens, which were apparently boundless. Beyond them, however, was a neglected region of groves and thickets, a sort of Wilderness, which stretched from the Garden boundaries to the edge of a plateau below which lay a wild valley, with a chain of wilder peaks and crags forming the horizon. But none of the Court had ever cared to explore the Wilderness, if they were even aware of its existence, so no more need be said of it at present. The Royal Family leaned upon the parapet of the terrace, whence they had a bird's-eye view of the big square immediately below, and the picturesquely irregular buildings, above whose gabled red roofs grim watch-towers and quaint spires or cupolas rose here and there. Down in the square swarms of tiny figures were clustering round the public fountains, which spouted jets that, as they flashed in the afternoon sun, were seen to be of a purple hue. "Must be wine," remarked the Crown Prince. "If it's the same tap we had at lunch, the poor devils have my sympathy!" "I think, Sidney," said the Queen, "that we ought all to go for a drive presently--just round the principal streets. I'm sure the--a--populace would appreciate it." "If you think it's expected of us, my love," he said. "Otherwise--well, I should have rather liked to see a little more of the Palace; we don't even know where our own bedrooms are to be yet." "The Guv'nor's right there, Mater!" said Prince Clarence. "We'd better get settled down before we do anything else." "Perhaps we had," Queen Selina allowed. "I'll get that good old Mrs. Fogleplug to take us round the house." And after sending for the Court Godmother, she started, accompanied by the family and several of her ladies-in-waiting, on a tour of inspection. Possibly the suites of halls, each more magnificent than the last, the endless galleries and corridors, the walls decorated with sumptuous but bizarre hangings, the floors inlaid with marble and precious stones which were probably priceless and certainly slippery--possibly all these contributed towards the upsetting of Queen Selina's equanimity, but her manner was deplorably lacking in dignity and repose. She treated her ladies, for instance, with a politeness that came nearer subservience than ever. It was: "_Pray_ go first, dear Princess Rapunzelhauser! After _you_, Baroness!... Please, Countess, I really couldn't _think_ of preceding you!" at every doorway, till Daphne, as she noted the elevated eyebrows and covert smiles of the others, felt too much shame for her Sovereign for any thought of amusement. However, the Queen showed more self-assertion in her treatment of the Court Godmother, which was characterised by some _hauteur_. "And now, I suppose, Mrs. Fogleplug, we have seen _all_ the Reception Rooms. We shall probably have to entertain on rather a large scale, but they appear to be fairly suitable. What I have _not_ yet seen is a room where I could receive ordinary callers. I have always made a practice since I was first married of being 'at Home' on the first and third Fridays, and though circumstances have altered, I intend to continue it." The Fairy, though she was rather at a loss to understand either the reason or the necessity for this, said that there was a chamber called "The Queen's Bower" which would probably meet Her Majesty's requirements, and led the way to it accordingly. It was about sixty feet square, with a high vaulted roof of lapis-lazuli set with large diamond stars; the walls were decorated with huge frescoes representing legends, many of which Princess Ruby recognised as familiar. "This will do, Mrs. Fogleplug," pronounced the Queen. "At least it can be _made_ to do, with a little re-arrangement. As it is, there are none of the ordinary refinements, such as art-cushions, cake-and-bread-and-butter stand, occasional tables, and little silver knick-knacks, which a lady's boudoir of any pretensions to elegance should have. Just the trifles that express the owner, and--er--constitute Home. I must have all these provided before I can use this as a sanctum. I should certainly have expected a Palace like this to be furnished with more regard to comfort!" "I should have expected a billiard-room or two," said Prince Clarence; "but these Courtier chaps tell me they don't even know what billiards are! Pretty sort of Palace this!" "I think it's a perfectly lovely Palace!" Princess Ruby declared. "It hasn't got a single piano in it anywhere! I know, because I've asked." "I'm sorry to hear it, my dear," said her Mother, "because I particularly wished Miss Heritage to get you on with your music; and, if that is impossible, I shall have to consider whether I can keep her at all." "Oh, Mummy, you won't send her away? When you know I've never been good with anybody before, and never _shall_ be, either!" Queen Selina was quite alive to the advantages of retaining Daphne's services. "Well, Ruby," she said, "I shall allow Miss Heritage to stay on, as your companion" (she had already seen her way to proposing a reduction of salary), "and she can make herself generally useful to me as well." Ruby went dancing back to Daphne. "You're not to be my governess any more, Miss Heritage, dear," she announced, "because I shan't require one now. But I've got Mummy to let you stay on as companion. Aren't you glad?" Daphne answered that she was--and she would certainly have been sorry to leave Märchenland quite so soon. "And now tell me, Mr. Chamberlain--Baron Troitz, I mean," the Queen was saying. "What time do you dine here?" "Whenever your Majesties please," was the reply. "All the same to us," said the King affably. "No wish to put you _out_ at all." "Then with your permission, Sire, the Banquet will be served an hour hence in the Banqueting Hall." "A banquet!" cried the Queen. "I would rather we dined quietly, without any fuss, on our first night here." "It is the night of your Majesties' Coronation," the Court Chamberlain reminded her. "The Court would be deeply disappointed if so auspicious an event were not celebrated in a befitting manner." "Oh," said the Queen. "Then it will be full dress, I suppose--with crowns?" "I hope--not _crowns_," put in King Sidney, who had taken the earliest opportunity of leaving his own in a corner. "A crown is such an uncomfortable thing to eat in. At least mine is." The Court Chamberlain gave it as his decision that crowns should certainly be worn--at least through the earlier courses of the meal. "All you've got to do, Guv'nor," said Clarence, "is to keep yours from splashing into the soup. A bit of elastic round your chin would do that all right." "And I presume," said the Queen, "we shall wear these robes we have on?... Oh, we shall find a change of costume upstairs? Then, as there is not too much time for dressing, I should like to see my room at once, Mrs. Fogleplug." "Sidney," she panted a little later as, escorted by the Marshal and Baron, and followed by the Court Godmother and the ladies and lords-in-waiting, they were making the ascent of the grand staircase, "one of the _first_ things we must do here is to put in a lift. I really can't be expected to climb all these stairs several times a day!" "They do take it out of one, my dear," he admitted. "And a lift would certainly be a great improvement." At the head of the staircase was a long tapestry-hung gallery in which were the doors opening into the suites of rooms prepared for Royalty. Queen Selina, on reaching hers, could not bring herself to allow her ladies of the Bedchamber to assist at her toilet. "So _very_ kind of you, Princess, and you, too, my dear Baroness," she protested, "but I couldn't _think_ of troubling you--I couldn't indeed! I should feel quite ashamed to let you! I can manage perfectly well by myself--that is, Miss Heritage will come in after she has attended to Princess Ruby, and do all I require, and then she can go on and help _you_, Edna."