"That," said the Fairy, "is one of the penalties of being of the blood Royal. An ancestress of yours slept in that very bed, my dear, ages ago, before even _I_ can remember--or I should rather say she _tried_ to sleep, but could not, owing to a pea that had somehow got under the lowest feather-bed of all. It was certainly very careless if the pea has never been removed." "It would also show, Mrs. Fogleplug, that during all those ages the bed can never have been properly aired. I should have thought it would have been _your_ business to see to that." "Then you would be entirely mistaken, my dear, for it is not. And, as I notice that you find a difficulty in pronouncing my name correctly, I may suggest that it would be simpler in future to call me by my proper title, which is, 'High Court Godmother,' or 'Court Godmother,' if you prefer it." "And while we are on the subject of titles," said Queen Selina, "_I_ may mention that it is customary to address a Queen as 'Your Majesty,' and not as 'my dear.'" "It has always been my habit with Sovereigns, and I have never heard it objected to till now." "Well, _I_ object to it. But--and this is what I sent for you about--there are other matters I object to even more. I intend to regulate my household on a thoroughly modern and English system, and I cannot have any member of it careering about in the air in outlandish cars drawn by birds. If you _must_ have a conveyance you must be content with a brougham or a victoria, for I shall insist on your putting down both those bird-cars." "You seem to forget that, but for one of them, you would never have come into your Kingdom!" "That may or may not be. At any rate there is no further necessity for them, and--well, it just comes to this, Madam, either they go or you do." The old Fairy's eyes smouldered with anger, and her nut-cracker mouth and chin champed for a few seconds before she replied. "I have occupied rooms in this Palace--when not at the Palace of Clairdelune--for over a century and a half, and I have no intention of giving them up. I shall also continue to use the vehicles which I find most convenient." "Oh?" said the Queen, "will you? We shall _see_ about that!"