But all the same, before a month had passed, the secret about the king's ears was known to all the land. How could that be? The king still wore his cap, and the servant had never dared to speak about it to man, woman, or child. You will never be able to guess how the secret got abroad without being told. It was in this way. Some reeds grew up out of the place where the servant had made the hole, and of course the reeds had heard what had been whispered into the ground where their roots were. And they were no more able to keep such a wonderful secret to themselves than the servant had been. Whenever the wind blew through them they rustled, and their rustle said, "King Midas has the Ears of an Ass!" The wind heard the words of the reeds, and carried the news through all the land, wherever it blew, "King Midas has the Ears of an Ass!" And all the people heard the voice of the wind, and said to one another, "What a wonderful thing--King Midas has the ears of an Ass!" PART V.--SOME FLOWER STORIES. I.--THE LAUREL. One day, Apollo, while following his flock of sheep, met a little boy playing with a bow and arrows. "That isn't much of a bow you've got there," said Apollo. "Isn't it?" said the boy. "Perhaps not; but all the same, I don't believe you've got a better, though you're so big and I'm so small." Now you know that Apollo never could bear to be told that anybody could have anything, or do anything, better than he. You remember how he treated Marsyas and Midas for saying the same kind of thing. So he took his own bow from his shoulder, and showed it to the boy, and said, "As you think you know so much about bows and arrows, look at that; perhaps you'll say that the bow which killed the great serpent Python isn't stronger than your trumpery little toy." The boy took Apollo's bow and tried to bend it; but it was much too strong for him. "But never mind," said he. "My little bow and arrows are better than your big ones, all the same." Apollo was half angry and half amused. "You little blockhead! how do you make out that?" asked he. "Because," said the boy, "your bow can kill everybody else--but mine can conquer _you_. You shall see." And so saying he let fly one of his arrows right into Apollo's heart. The arrow was so little that Apollo felt nothing more than the prick of a pin: he only laughed at the boy's nonsense, and went on his way as if nothing had happened. * * * * *