Off went the minister and told the queen what he had said, and the queen saw as plain as the nose on her face that she must go herself if she would have the lad come at her bidding. There sat the lad back of the stove. And would he come with her now? Yes, indeed, that he would. So he slipped from behind the stove and took her by the hand, and they walked out of the house and up to her castle on the high hill, for that was where he belonged now. There they were married, and ruled the land far and near. For it is one thing to be a blacksmith of one kind, and another thing to be a blacksmith of another kind, and that is the truth, whether you believe it or not. And did the queen really get the best in the world? Bless your heart, my dear, wait until you are as old as I am, and have been married as long, and you will be able to answer that question without the asking. [Illustration: The End.] HIC LIBER CAPITE NOSTRO FACTUS EST MANUQUE NOSTRA RIDEANT HOMINUM STULTITIAS STULTI, SED NE, QUOD IN STULTITIIS HOMINUM HOMINIS ALIQUID EST, OMNIA IN LEVI HABEAMUS * [Illustration] ------------------------------------------------------------------------ TRANSCRIBER’S NOTES 1. Silently corrected typographical errors and variations in spelling. 2. Archaic, non-standard, and uncertain spellings retained as printed. 3. Enclosed italics font in _underscores_. 4. Superscripts are denoted by a caret before a single superscript character, e.g. M^r. End of Project Gutenberg's The Wonder Clock, by Howard Pyle and Katharine Pyle