"She is here still, and under my protection," said the Court Godmother. "In her own interests I had determined to keep silent as to her claims, and planned that Mirliflor should win her under the form I made him assume. All had fallen out as I expected--I had just arranged to carry them both off to Clairdelune, and leave these usurpers in possession for as long as the Country would endure them--when you blunder in, like the meddlesome idiot you are, Baron, and upset everything!" "I have been blind indeed!" he confessed. "A traitor when I thought myself most loyal! Tell me, most Gracious Court Godmother, how I may best repair my error?" "You _can't_ repair it without making more mischief," she said. "The only thing you can do _now_ is to hold your tongue about it, as I shall do myself unless I am obliged to speak out. And now we had better go and see what this precious King and Queen of yours are doing, and remember, Baron, your own safety will depend on your preserving absolute secrecy as to all the matters I have found it necessary to acquaint you with." * * * * * On the terrace meanwhile Queen Selina had implored the Marshal to do something--anything--towards the rescue of her elder daughter. He was not sanguine; "We could raise a force, your Majesty," he said, "to ride to Drachenstolz and assault the Castle walls,--but it would be quite impossible to take it by storm, even if that dragon were not among its defenders." "We'll have a try anyway," said Clarence gallantly. "Come on, you chaps--get into your fighting kit," he cried to the Courtiers. "And two of you boys," he added to the pages, "just run and fetch me a helmet and breastplate and things--and bring me down a sword you'll find in my room somewhere. I shouldn't mind tackling even a dragon with that sword," he added to his mother, as the Courtiers and pages ran into the Palace. "It goes clean through anything." But the pages, when they returned with the breastplate and helmet and riding-boots, reported that the sword was nowhere to be found, so Clarence had to content himself with a more ordinary weapon. At the last moment the Queen tried to detain him. "No, Clarence!" she cried, "you mustn't go. Your life is too valuable to be risked--there are enough going without _you_! Stay here--if only to protect us!" "Hang it all, Mater!" he said, "you can't expect me to stay here and have them saying I shirked!" And he went off to the stables with the Marshal and other members of the Court. "It'll be no good!" groaned King Sidney. "It's as likely as not that beast has eaten the poor girl by this time!"