Taykin's astonishment and annoyance at being followed by his faithful apprentice were soon soothed, for he saw that a stupid scullion would be of great use. Of course he had no idea that James had been made clever by a kiss. 'But how are you going to cook?' asked the apprentice. 'You don't know how!' 'I shall cook,' said Taykin, 'as I do everything else--by magic.' And he did. I wish I had time to tell you how he turned out a hot dinner of seventeen courses from totally empty saucepans, how James looked in a cupboard for spices and found it empty, and how next moment the nurse walked out of it. The Magician had been so long alone that he seemed to revel in the luxury of showing off to some one, and he leaped about from one cupboard to another, produced cats and cockatoos out of empty jars, and made mice and rabbits disappear and reappear till James's head was in a whirl, for all his cleverness; and the nurse, as she washed up, wept tears of pure joy at her boy's wonderful skill. 'All this excitement's bad for my heart, though,' Taykin said at last, and pulling his heart out of his chest, he put it on a shelf, and as he did so his magic note-book fell from his breast and the apprentice picked it up. Taykin did not see him do it; he was busy making the kitchen lamp fly about the room like a pigeon. It was just then that the Princess came in, looking more lovely than ever in a simple little morning frock of white chiffon and diamonds. 'The beggar maid,' said Taykin, 'looking like a princess! I'll marry her just the same.' 'I've come to give the orders for dinner,' she said; and then she saw who it was, and gave one little cry and stood still, trembling. 'To order the dinner,' said the nurse. 'Then you're----' 'Yes,' said Aura, 'I'm the Princess.' 'You're the Princess,' said the Magician. 'Then I'll marry you all the more. And if you say no I'll uglify you as the word leaves your lips. Oh, yes--you think I've just been amusing myself over my cooking--but I've really been brewing the strongest spell in the world. Marry me--or drink----' The Princess shuddered at these dreadful words. 'Drink, or marry me,' said the Magician. 'If you marry me you shall be beautiful for ever.' 'Ah,' said the nurse, 'he's a match even for a Princess.' 'I'll tell papa,' said the Princess, sobbing. 'No, you won't,' said Taykin. 'Your father will never know. If you won't marry me you shall drink this and become my scullery maid--my hideous scullery maid--and wash up for ever in the lonely tower.' He caught her by the wrist. 'Stop,' cried the apprentice, who was a Prince. 'Stop? _Me?_ Nonsense! Pooh!' said the Magician. 'Stop, I say!' said James, who was Fortunatus. '_I've got your heart!_' He had--and he held it up in one hand, and in the other a cooking knife. 'One step nearer that lady,' said he, 'and in goes the knife.' The Magician positively skipped in his agony and terror.