Bethsaba thought, "You must be he, or you would never have dared to utter such blasphemy." She went further; she wanted to catch the Evil One in his own net. "You have too much to do; may I not help you? If you would let me, I would wash and dress the children, too. I should like to do it; it is so amusing." "Yes, indeed," said Zeneida, merrily. "Why not? It will give you something to do; and I, by-the-way, must go and see that we have enough to eat for all our multitude. I leave you in charge of the nursery." So saying she gave up her seat to Bethsaba, and, bidding the many unwashed little folk to be good, left the bath-room with a smile. Bethsaba's first care was to make the children all kneel down. Then, kneeling in their midst, she said the Lord's Prayer with them--"Deliver us from the Evil One. Amen." Now he must be effectually quashed! Then she began her task of washing and dressing the little ones. CHAPTER XXIII THE STORY OF THE MAN WITH THE GREEN EYES But the small mites were not as good with their new nurse as they had been with the old one. A look from Zeneida had been enough to still their moanings and whimperings; but Bethsaba was little more than a child herself, they were not in the least awed by her. One child set up the cry, the others following in chorus, "Where is baba? where is pata?" and she might have gone on forever washing the tears from the little faces. Well, pata and baba she could not give back to them; but she remembered what her nurses had done when she was a little child and used to cry for her mamma. They had told her fairy tales. "Don't cry! Be good and sensible, and I will tell you the story of _The Man with the Green Eyes_. It's such a lovely story. Now listen!" The children were quiet as mice; they clustered up to Bethsaba, clinging to her dress, resting their chins on her knees, and listened. "A long, long time ago there was a little prince, as little as you are, Struwelpeter, here at my feet. He had a good papa and a good baba, who loved him very much. But one day they had to go a long journey, and were laid in long metal boxes, and the lids were shut down upon them. Then they were carried out and placed upon two grand gold and silver coaches, each drawn by six horses, and, amid bands of music, firing of cannons, and great crowds of people, they were driven away. "When the little prince was left alone he asked his Grand Vizier, 'To what land did my father and mother go?' "And the Grand Vizier answered, 'Ah, little prince, to a land far away. To another world.' "'And why did they go to that other world?' "'Because it is much better there than in ours!' the vizier explained. "Upon which the little king's son asked, 'If that world is so much better, why did they not take me with them?' "'Because you have yet much to work, battle, and suffer in this world before you will be worthy to reach that other one whither your father and mother went.'