King Ivanta nodded, and his fine features lighted up with one of his
kindliest smiles as he looked across at Fumenta. ’And you, the Fox, as
you called yourself, who befriended the fugitive Eagle, and hid him from
his enemies in your burrow; what is your request?’
’Mine, oh king, is less unselfish than that of this persecuted young
gentleman, since it concerns myself alone. Once upon a time’——
’Once upon a time,’ interrupted the king, ’you were known as Lufendis,
King of Iraynia.’
Here Malto started and turned pale. He seemed to be trembling, and
stared first at the king and then at Fumenta—or Lufendis—with eyes that
were almost starting out of his head. Ivanta paused and held his hand
out towards him.
’And you, Malto, are the son of the king whom I displaced and sent into
exile because of accusations which both Agrando and Kazzaro have now
admitted were false!’—’Lufendis! formerly King of Iraynia, henceforth
you are king not only of Iraynia but also of Sedenia, for I give to you
the position forfeited by the traitor Agrando! There, oh king, is your
son, Prince Yumalda, whom you thought to be dead; but who was really
stolen by Kazzaro and brought up to be the slave of the tyrant he
served.—Malto! or rather, Prince Yumalda! this is your father whom you
have so long mourned as dead!’
Who shall describe the scene that followed? Who can worthily depict the
wondering delight of the father, the amazement of the son, or the
sympathetic emotions of those who stood around? Congratulations, eager,
tumultuous, poured in on all sides, Prince Alondra, Gerald, and Jack
being among the first to offer them. Then the father and son, thus
strangely reunited, retired together to talk to one another alone.
At a later date the chums accompanied Prince Alondra and Monck on
another visit to Sedenia. This time they went as the guests of the newly
appointed King Lufendis. And there they visited again, with Prince
Yumalda and Malandris, all those places where the former, as Malto, had
so adroitly aided them in their fortunate escape from Agrando’s
dungeons. There, too, they saw the wrecked pavilion, and learned for
the first time how narrowly they had avoided being buried in its ruins.
Of Agrando, or the ’Ogre,’ they saw nothing. They had already gone to
their lifelong doom—exile and imprisonment in that same dismal
wilderness in which their victim, King Lufendis, had passed so many
years as the famous outlaw-chief.
* * * * *
And so it came to pass that when, in due time, the wondrous aerostat
_Ivenia_ set out upon her return to Earth, she brought back with her a
larger load of treasure even than she had carried to Mars. What had
belonged to the Diamond King, Ivanta, with royal scrupulousness,
restored to him. The rest of the jewels he presented to Armeath and his
two wards, who in turn made over a share to their faithful servitors,
all thus becoming rich beyond their wildest dreams.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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