"Maybe so," was his guarded response. "Then let us storm it, and force him to surrender the queen and her companions!" "Yes, yes!" cried all the Brownies. But King Stanislaus shook his head in a very decided manner. "My son, you're too impulsive," he said kindly but reprovingly. "Judging from what you've told me, for I've never seen any of them, each of those fellows must stand full six times as high as one of us, and there may be six times as many besides. We must exercise caution." "Have you anything to propose?" "Nothing just now," said King Stanislaus. "We must reconnoitre a bit, and get the lay of the land, before considering any plan whatever. An open attack would be entirely out of the question. They'd have the advantage of us in size and maybe numbers. No, no, my boy, we must use Brownie cunning." Reluctantly Florimel was obliged to admit the force of the shrewd old monarch's reasoning. Concerned as he was in mind to rescue Titania as soon as he could, he had no desire by any rash act to imperil or, even worse still, destroy the entire band. King Stanislaus motioned to the Brownies, who drew closer to give respectful heed to what he might have to say to them. "I want each of you to go out and see what you can learn," he instructed. "But, as you value your life, and the lives of your fellows, you must not allow yourselves to be seen or heard by anyone. When a half-hour has elapsed we will assemble here." Following His Majesty's directions, the willing band immediately dispersed, Florimel choosing a way to take alone, as did each other, and so careful were they all that no one in the neighborhood would have suspected they were near. When the half-hour was up King Stanislaus was back on the same spot, and the Brownies began to pop up in the dark around him from all sides. "Well," His Majesty asked, "have you found out anything?" Then one after another was obliged to confess that he had not, and while he was questioning them in turn he ascertained that neither Florimel nor the Policeman had returned. The fact that both were missing worried him not a little, but, even while he was wondering what had kept them, he beheld the Policeman returning with incredible speed, leaping and bounding with his long, tapering feet over the sand. "Your Majesty," he panted, as he came up out of breath, "I have just made a remarkable discovery." "What is it, officer?" asked King Stanislaus, anxiously. "If I told you," said the Policeman, "I'm afraid you wouldn't believe me. I want you all to come and see for yourselves!" [Illustration] CHAPTER XIV WHAT THE POLICEMAN DISCOVERED [Illustration] Like a covey of startled quail the Brownies flew after the Policeman, for each was very curious to learn of the discovery that he had made. They knew that with his keen sense of dramatic values he wished to keep them in suspense as long as possible, so that only at the proper moment would the mystery be solved.