"Dear me," the man in armour said, "how annoying! I am the—the Prince of Kamschkatka, and this is a shepherd of Pendleton." He said it in a great hurry, just as you might say a newly learned lesson. But the shepherd of Pendleton said, "Ah, perhaps Mrs. Hexer does not live here." The Queen said, "No, she doesn’t; I live here." "What, _alone_!" they both said. And the Queen answered, "No; I live with my geese." The shepherd said, "Oh, then perhaps you could tell us where Mrs. Hexer _does_ live." "I’ve never heard of her," the Queen said. "_What_! never heard of Mrs. Hexer?" they both said. "The famous witch who has the well of the Elixir of Life," the prince said. But the shepherd said, "Of lore." The mention of "witch" brought something to the Queen’s mind. "There used to be a horrible old woman who lived here with a great black cat," she said. "Perhaps _she_ was Mrs. Hexer; but she disappeared some time ago." "That must have been her," the prince said. And the shepherd continued, "Ah, if you would let us sit for a while on the coping of your well, or even give us a draught of its water, we should be infinitely obliged to you." The Queen said, "Oh, you’re very welcome," and turned into the house to get her bucket, when she was astonished to see a coal-black thing with horns and a long tail sitting in the very middle of her fire. She rubbed her eyes in surprise, and when she looked again there was only a gentleman, clad in an elegant suit of black, with his coal-black hair carefully parted in the middle and falling in sinuous lines on either side of his forehead. He held his hat in one hand, and in the other a black bag and long narrow book. "Oh, good morning, Mrs. Hexer," he said. "You will excuse my liberty; but I saw you were agreeably engaged, and so I took the opportunity of slipping in by the back way." "I didn’t know there was a back way," the Queen said. "The chimney, I should have said, Mrs. Hexer," the gentleman said. "But I’m not Mrs. Hexer," the Queen replied. "No, indeed," the gentleman answered. "The elixir has had a most remarkable success in your case. A photograph of you now would be a most valuable advertisement—before taking and after. I suppose you haven’t got one of your former state?" "But I tell you I’m not Mrs. Hexer," the Queen said. Whereupon the gentleman became a shade more serious. "You have exactly five minutes more life," he said, after having consulted one of those keyless watches that never seem to have had enough winding. He laid down his hat and bag, and looked carefully in his book. "Is this not your signature?" The Queen said, "Good gracious, no; and I’m not going to sign anything more." "You’ve signed quite enough in this," the gentleman said. "But I tell you I never signed it," the Queen replied. "Oh, nonsense, Mrs. Hexer," the gentleman said. "Come, your time is nearly at hand." "It’s nothing of the sort," the Queen said.