So he ran to the royal treasury, which was a front room in the palace, and began paying every one who presented an account. He expected presently to empty the purse; but no matter how heavily he drew upon the contents, it remained ever as full as in the beginning. “It must be,” thought the old man, when the last bill had been paid, “that my idle wish has in some mysterious way been granted.” But he did not know he owed his good fortune to the magic cloak, which he still wore. As he was leaving the room, he met the king and Princess Fluff, who were just come from dinner; and the girl exclaimed: “Why, there is my cloak! Where did you get it, Tillydib?” “I found it in the garden,” answered the lord high purse-bearer; “but take it, if it is yours. And here is something to repay you for the loan of it;” and he poured into her hands a heap of glittering gold. “Oh, thank you!” cried Fluff; and taking the precious cloak she dropped the gold into it and carried it to her room. “I’ll never lend it again unless it is really necessary,” she said to herself. “It was very careless of Aunt Rivette to leave my fairy cloak in the garden.” And then after carefully folding it and wrapping it up she locked it in a drawer, and hid the key where no one but herself could find it. [Illustration: “THIS WAS THE MOMENT QUAVO HAD EAGERLY AWAITED.”] Chapter XI. THE WITCH-QUEEN. It is not very far from the kingdom of Noland to the kingdom of Ix. If you followed the steps of Quavo the minstrel, you would climb the sides of a steep mountain-range, and go down on the other side, and cross a broad and swift river, and pick your way through a dark forest. You would then have reached the land of Ix and would find an easy path into the big city. But even before one came to the city he would see the high marble towers of Queen Zixi’s magnificent palace, and pause to wonder at its beauty. Quavo the minstrel had been playing his harp in the city of Nole, and his eyes were sharp; so he had seen many things to gossip and sing about, and therefore never doubted he would be warmly welcomed by Queen Zixi. He reached the marble palace about dusk, one evening, and was bidden to the feast which was about to be served. A long table ran down the length of the lofty hall built in the center of the palace; and this table was covered with gold and silver platters bearing many kinds of meats and fruits and vegetables, while tall, ornamented stands contained sweets and delicacies to tickle the palate. At the head of the table, on a jeweled throne, sat Queen Zixi herself, a vision of radiant beauty and charming grace. Her hair was yellow as spun gold, and her wondrous eyes raven black in hue. Her skin was fair as a lily, save where her cheek was faintly tinted with a flush of rose-color.