Delphi Works of Ford Madox Ford (Illustrated) by Ford Madox Ford Read Free Book Online Page B

them received the order to commence fighting they neither of them advanced.
    So the Prince and Princess advanced at a gentle trot until they were quite close to the others, and the Owl sat on her shoulder.
    When they were quite close the knights tried to get one behind the other just as if they had done something they ought not to have done, and were each afraid of being punished first.
    In particular the Princess noted the giant and dwarf, the ambassadors of the evening before; they tried to hide themselves behind the others altogether. For the dwarf this was easy enough, but for the poor giant, he could not manage it at all, he was so very big.
    However, she did not look at all angry, and she only said:
    ‘Good-morning, my lords.’
    And they replied in chorus:
    ‘Good-morning, your Majesty.’
    So she went on:
    ‘I have come to ask you why you have assisted my rebellious subject, and what grievance you have? If there is any I will try to redress it.’ One of the nobles replied:
    ‘We have no grievances.’
    ‘Then why have you fought against me?’
    ‘Because we could not help it, your Majesty.’
    ‘But I should have thought you could have helped fighting.’
    ‘I mean, your Majesty, that Merrymineral threatened to kill us all if we did not fight.’
    ‘Then you were not very brave. But that has nothing to do with it.
    What I wish to know is, whether you will now submit to me again?’
    ‘We would most willingly; only perhaps your Majesty might inflict some punishment on us for our misdeeds.’
    But the Princess shook her head. ‘No ; I will give you all a free pardon if you return to your allegiance.’ So the nobles gave a shout of joy, and they seemed quite happy again. And the Princess too was overjoyed; however, she ordered them to go each knight to his own men and to tell them what had happened, and to conduct them to her own army.
    So they all went and did as they were told, and soon the whole army of Merrymineral melted away, with the exception of a very few, and these were mostly the servants of Merrymineral himself, and of the giant and the dwarf, who still remained faithful to him. However they seemed quite unhappy about it.
    So the Princess turned to them and said:
    ‘And you, sirs, will you not also join me?’
    But the giant shook his head, and the dwarf said snappishly:
    ‘Don’t you know we can’t?’
    But the Princess answered:
    ‘No; I do not know why you can’t.’ So the dwarf snarled:
    ‘We’re bound to serve him for a certain time, whether we like it or not. I’m the King of the Underground Gnomes — we live in tunnels under the earth, and never come up unless we’re obliged to.’
    And the giant said:
    ‘I’m the Spirit of the Woods — that’s why I’m dressed in leaves like this; and I’m the King of the Foresters, and we live in trees.’
    But just at this moment a frightful roar came from the camp:
    ‘Why don’t you begin?’ it came.
    It was so sudden that it quite startled the Princess, but the giant shook his head mournfully:
    ‘He always roars like that when he’s in a temper. He’ll be coming out in a moment, and won’t there be a row?’ Just then the voice came again. ‘Bring Popfelwuski to the door.’
    ‘Popfelwuski’s his dragon that he rides on,’ said the giant.
    And then some servants led the dragon to the door of one of the tents.
    It was a most marvellous-looking creature, for it had eyes as large as tea-trays, and they twinkled awfully; and it was golden-coloured all over, and it shone so brightly in the sun that it made the Princess’s eyes quite ache to look at it. And it was growling and prancing and kicking up the dust, and making more fuss than fifty horses could have done. Just then the tent opened and Merrymineral came out. He looked just as usual, and had not any armour or weapons except a huge battle-axe, which must have weighed nearly a ton, but he carried it with the greatest ease, although he was an old man — for he was over