"You will report at the palace at two this afternoon," said the King, "and if you have not at that time brought back the missing articles, your head will be removed and you will also lose your position as Court Detective." "Your Majesty," said the Court Detective, "I hope you will not exercise undue haste. This is the first case I have ever had, and I should like permission to continue my studies a little later than two o'clock this afternoon." "Very well, then," said the King, "you shall have until half-past two. By that time you must have results." Whereupon, the King bowed and turned away. The Court Detective was very much agitated at these sudden responsibilities, but he now hastened away. After sitting for some time in deep thought, he began to search all about the palace yard, looking for footprints. In this he was successful, and of every footprint he found he made a cast in plaster-of-paris; so that before long he had a basketful of footprints, and with these he hastened back to the King. "Your Majesty," he exclaimed, "my eagle eye has discovered many things, and if my plaster-of-paris had not run out, I should have been able to show your Majesty even more footprints than these." The King was much pleased. "You have a good mind," said he to the Court Detective. "Among these footprints I see several which no doubt belong to the Royal Hereditary Twins. In which direction were they going?" "That, your Majesty," replied the Court Detective, "is something which I did not look into, considering it immaterial; but now that your Majesty has mixed up these footprints in the basket, I feel that it will be much more difficult to determine the course which they were taking when I discovered them." The King sent out the Court Detective once more with instructions to examine closely the ground around the home of the Dragon Jankow, as the Private Secretary had suggested that they might have gone thither. The Court Detective declared that if the Twins were found, the shadow and the lost Banjo also would be discovered; but he refused to say what made him think this, and only wagged his head. Within a short time after he had gone out the second time, the Court Detective again returned, very much excited. "Your Majesty, your Majesty," he cried, "a crime has been committed!" "Several crimes have been committed," said the King sternly, "but what is it that you have detected now?" "The Royal Army has lost its wooden leg." "Ah," said the King. "Have you just detected that? I knew that long ago, as also did the Dragon. But did you find any footprints near there?" asked the King. "I did not look for any," said the Court Detective; "but had I found any I should have been helpless, for I was quite out of plaster-of-paris. But I discovered that a portion of a sandwich and two tins of preserved herring had been left near the opening of the gorge where the Royal Army lives." "Ah," said the King, "let us see them."