"My poor boy," said his mother, "was it at the Castle? Did the thing attack you?" "I never _got_ to the Castle," he replied, "only about half-way. It was like this. That bally pendant you made me wear, Mater, got unfastened somehow, slipped down inside my breastplate and was hurting like the very deuce. So I got off and unbuckled a bit and pitched it away. When I got on again the horse was all over the shop with me in a jiffy. Couldn't hold him for toffee! And, before I knew it, I was over the brute's head. I tried to mount again, but he wouldn't let me. I tried some other gees, and none of _them_ would. Somehow I seemed to have lost the knack all at once. So, after I'd come off once or twice more and was getting a trifle lame, I thought the best thing I could do was to leg it home." "Hem!" said his Father. "Rather unfortunate thing to happen just _now_, my boy!" "Well, Guv'nor," he replied, "I should never have got there in time, walking." "You were quite right to come back, Clarence," said his Mother, "And--oh, look, look!" she cried suddenly, "our darling is safe after all! She's coming back in the dove-car!" The car landed shortly after on the terrace, and Edna was frantically embraced and plied with questions. "I am _quite_ all right, thank you," she said as soon as she had an opportunity of speaking. "Of course it was a most disagreeable thing to happen to one, and I don't feel equal to talking about it just yet--but I am very little the worse for it now." "But how did you get that awful man to let you go?" inquired the Queen. "He couldn't very well help himself--his head had been cut off. So had the dragon's, and that abominable little wretch Xuriel's too." By this time not only the Marshal but the Court Godmother and the Chamberlain had joined the party. "But who was brave enough to do all this?" asked the Queen. "Though I think I can _guess_!" "I fancy he said he was one of the under-gardeners here. Of course he couldn't have done it without Clarence's sword, but still----" "I never lent him it," said Clarence. "If _I'd_ had it--however, perhaps it's as well he _did_ borrow it. Jolly plucky of the beggar, I call it!" "He behaved extremely well," Edna admitted. "You will have to reward him or something, Father." "His Majesty," said the Marshal, with a certain gusto, "has already offered your Royal Highness's hand in marriage to whomsoever should be so fortunate as to effect your deliverance." "Without consulting Me!" cried Edna. "_Really_, Father, these things aren't done nowadays! It's too absurd!" "My love," said the Queen with a glance of secret intelligence at the embarrassed Baron, who looked another way, "the circumstances were exceptional. And a King can't go back on his _word_! Besides, this ex-gardener may be not such a common person as he _seems_--may he not, Baron?" "But, dash it, Mater!" said Clarence, while the Baron could only blink, "an under-gardener--what!"