"Oh, my poor head! My poor head!" said the King. "And to think that my poor, dear shadow may have quite as bad a headache for all I know! Oh, dear, was ever so unhappy a King as I! Jiji, play for me, and see if you cannot do something to settle my poor nerves." The Private Secretary went into his apartment, but presently returned and fell prostrate upon his face. "O, King," cried he, "I am the most wretched servant that ever disappointed a royal master!" "Why, what is the matter now? What is the matter?" asked the King. "Has anything else gone wrong?" "O, King," said the Private Secretary, "I regret to say that the Enchanted Banjo has disappeared from my apartments in the royal palace." "Ah!" cried the King of Gee-Whiz, as he heard the news. "This is almost too much! I begin to feel so strange that I really think I shall have to send for the Court Headsman." As the King of Gee-Whiz said this, he fixed a stern eye upon the unfortunate Private Secretary; who, as must be plain to all, had not been in the least to blame for any of these unhappy events. "I beg to suggest, your Majesty," said the Private Secretary, "that you send for the Court Detective instead." "If in your opinion he can be of the slightest service," replied the King, "then pray have him come and set to work at once." So the Court Detective came and was admitted to the presence of the King. He was an oldish looking man, thin, and dressed in a long, flowing, black gown. He carried under one arm a large book, and under the other a basket of plaster-of-paris, with which he was accustomed to think he would some day make a cast of the footprints of some escaping criminal. On his nose he wore two pairs of spectacles, one for far looking and one for close looking, and in general he was a very wise-appearing man. The King at once explained to him the reasons for his summons to the palace, and at that the Court Detective became even more wise. "I see, your Majesty," he remarked, "you have lost your shadow. Ha! Hum! Most serious, most serious, I assure your Majesty." "And the Widow has lost the Royal Hereditary Twins," continued the King. "Precisely. Most serious, most serious," said the Court Detective. "It would have been better had I been called much earlier, before the trail was so cold; but we shall see, your Majesty, we shall see." "And the Private Secretary has lost the Enchanted Banjo, upon which we were accustomed to rely for our entertainment." "Ah, that is very bad, very bad indeed! Whom does your Majesty suspect of all these things? Is it your Majesty's belief that one and the same person has committed all these crimes?" "That is for you to tell," said the King. "Ah! That will render it more difficult," said the Court Detective, "very much more difficult; but we shall see, your Majesty, we shall see."