"Your Majesty!" cried the faithful Private Secretary, "calm yourself, I beseech you. Pray be seated." The King continued to bound up and down. "Your Majesty," said the Private Secretary, "how came you in this unfortunate condition? I am very much distressed, indeed, your Majesty. But will you not be seated?" The King violently shook his head and resumed his agitation, until at length the Private Secretary grasped him by one arm and so at last brought him to a stop and placed him upon the Royal Throne. "Why, your Majesty," said the Private Secretary, "you are light as a feather! Pray, tell me, how has this happened?" The King could only squeak as before, but now he made a violent motion toward his feet. The Private Secretary understood him, as any good Private Secretary should be able to understand even the inmost thoughts of his King. "Quite right, your Majesty," said he. "I shall send at once for the Court Physician." So presently the Court Physician came up on a run, and, seeing what was the trouble, took his keen lancet and bled the King in his royal left foot. At once there was a sharp, hissing sound, and the dimensions of the King began to subside. In a few moments he had shrunk to such a size that he could be recognized by all. But now he was in such a rage that he could not make himself understood, but merely spluttered. Then he was for beheading the Widow Pickle at once for kicking him while he was helpless. Then he changed his mind, and ordered everybody banished from the Island except himself. This notion also passed, and he at length became more calm. "Your Majesty, it was all those Waffles," cried the Court Physician, who was jealous of the Widow Pickle. "Not in the least," declared the Widow Pickle. "That was never said of my Waffles before, as I am an honest woman." The King was a just Monarch, after all, and presently admitted it was not the Waffles, but what he had taken to be the syrup, which he was now ready to agree was perhaps a foreign substance of a dangerous nature. He explained the appearance of the tree from which he had taken the liquid, and the Court Physician in post-haste set off to the forest. He returned at length quite out of breath, and assured the King that he had examined the tree and found that it was not a syrup tree or _Arbor saccharinus_, but a rubber tree, _Arbor elasticus horribiliensis_, whose juice was capable of the most singular consequences when taken into the human system. "That explains all," said the King, who was now leaning weakly back upon the throne, very weary and pale; "all but one thing." As he spoke, he slowly and tremblingly turned his head and looked upon the ground to see if he could discover his shadow. "Look! Look!" cried the King, pointing before him. The Court Physician and the Private Secretary both looked but could see nothing. "There is nothing there, your Majesty," said the Court Physician.