But if Benson was irritated, and suffered from the remarks of his fellow-servants, I do not think we can envy Prince Prigio. Here he was, restored to his position indeed, but by no means to _the royal favour_. For the king disliked him as much as ever, and was as angry as ever about the deaths of Enrico and Alphonso. Nay, he was even _more_ angry; and, perhaps, not without reason. He called up Prigio before the whole Court, and thereon the courtiers cheered like anything, but the king cried: “Silence! McDougal, drag the first man that shouts to the serpent-house in the zoological gardens, and lock him up with the rattlesnakes!” After that the courtiers were very quiet. “Prince,” said the king, as Prigio bowed before the throne, “you are restored to your position, because I cannot break my promise. But your base and malevolent nature is even more conspicuously manifest in your selfish success than in your previous dastardly contempt of duty. Why, confound you!” cried the king, dropping the high style in which he had been speaking, and becoming the _father_, not the monarch,--“why, if you _could_ kill the Firedrake, did you let your poor little brothers go and be b--b--b--broiled? Eh! what do you say, you sneak? ‘You didn’t believe there _were_ any Firedrakes?’ That just comes of your eternal conceit and arrogance! If you were clever enough to kill the creature--and I admit that--you were clever enough to know that what everybody said must be true. ‘You have not generally found it so?’ Well, you _have_ this time, and let it be a lesson to you; not that there is much comfort in that, for it is not likely you will ever have such another chance”--exactly the idea that had occurred to Benson. Here the king wept, among the tears of the lord chief justice, the poet laureate (who had been awfully frightened when he heard of the rattlesnakes), the maids of honour, the chaplain royal, and everyone but Colonel McDougal, a Scottish soldier of fortune, who maintained a military reserve. When his majesty had recovered, he said to Prigio (who had not been crying, he was too much absorbed): “A king’s word is his bond. Bring me a pen, somebody, and my cheque-book.” The royal cheque-book, bound in red morocco, was brought in by eight pages, with ink and a pen. His majesty then filled up and signed the following satisfactory document--(Ah! my children, how I wish Mr. Arrowsmith would do as much for _me_!): [Illustration: The King’s Cheque] “There!” said his majesty, crossing his cheque and throwing sand over it, for blotting-paper had not yet been invented; “there, take _that_, and be off with you!” Prince Prigio was respectfully but rapidly obeying his royal command, for he thought he had better cash the royal cheque as soon as possible, when his majesty yelled: “Hi! here! come back! I forgot something; you’ve got to marry Molinda!” [Illustration: Chapter Sixteen] CHAPTER XVI.--_A Melancholy Chapter_