"Are you sure you remember the answer? I have heard of sausages _talking_ occasionally, and I daresay they can roll, but I fail to see what intelligible reason _any_ sausage could give for doing it." "It's a catch," explained Edna. "It's like this. Why did the sausage roll? Because it saw the jam-_turnover_. _Now_ do you see?" "I can't say I do, my dear. It seems senseless to _me_. But that's all the better--the more idiotic it is, the less chance of its being guessed. Yes, on the whole, I don't think you could have thought of a better one." Shortly afterwards Prince Mirliflor, just as he was about to extinguish the flambeaux and turn into bed, was startled to see his door opening by some mysterious means. He was more startled still when the figure of the old Court Chamberlain suddenly materialised in the centre of the room. "Your Royal Highness will forgive my intrusion," said the Baron, "when I explain the object of this visit. My reason for suggesting that the Princess should grant you a night to answer her question was that I felt convinced that she would be unable to refrain from telling it to some person--her mother, most probably. So I resolved by means of this" (and here he exhibited a small skull-cap of purple silk) "to penetrate unseen to the Princess's apartments and overhear her conversation. To my disappointment, she would reveal nothing to Her Majesty, but by-and-by the Court Godmother paid the Princess a visit, in the course of which I, remaining, of course, invisible, succeeded in learning the secret on which your Royal Highness's happiness and the hopes of all Maerchenland depend. The answer, it seems--though I must admit I can make little of it myself--is----" "Stop, Baron!" interrupted Prince Mirliflor, "I refuse--do you hear?--I refuse to take advantage of any information obtained in such a disreputable manner--I insist on your leaving this room at once without another word!" "But, sire, hear me! This is not a case for being over-scrupulous. In love, as in war, all is fair. And the answer is--'Because----'" "_Will_ you get out?" cried the Prince, stopping both his ears. "I won't hear you. I can't, as you can see. And if you don't clear out at once, I'll strike this gong for the guard!" The Baron, seeing that he could do no more, hastily put on his cap again and disappeared. "What a pity," he thought, "that such a fine young Prince should be so priggish when his own interests are concerned!" But although Mirliflor's code of honour was undoubtedly high, it is quite possible that he might not have stopped his ears quite so hermetically if Princess Edna had only borne a closer resemblance to his vision of her. As it was, even if the Baron had forced him to hear the answer, it would have made no difference, since he had not the least intention of profiting by it, and so he slept soundly, with no apprehensions concerning what the morrow might bring him.