When the lovers and their companion came down to earth and lit on the ground, they found Amulet waiting near the place where the old man had left him, and they passed the rest of the night peacefully under the stars. Next day they began their homeward journey, and in time reached the city in the plain where the Princess lived; and there she was married to her lover with great splendour. Amulet and the old man went with her to her husband’s kingdom, and on the way thither they stopped to see the Tree of Pride cut down. Then they rode on, the King and his Queen side by side, and disappeared over the plain and beyond the blue hills into their new life. THE STORY OF FARMYARD MAGGIE One Saturday afternoon when the miller had let his man go out, he was standing at the mill door above the steps, with the white dust whirling behind him like a mist. He saw Peter and his sister near the witch’s cottage, and he waved his hand and shouted to them to come. He was smoking, but knocked the ashes out of his pipe, for he was certain that little Peter would ask for a story. He liked telling him stories better than reading out of his grandmother’s book, because he could look at Janet all the time, instead of keeping his eyes upon the words. He began to rack his brains for something new. “A story! a story!” cried little Peter, as soon as he had got within earshot. “But I have none left in my head,” said the miller, teasing him. “Then there is the book,” said Peter. “I’ll go for it.” It was a long time since he had stopped being afraid of the tall man in the white hat. “No! no! no!” cried the miller. “Come here and sit on the sacks, and I’ll think of something. We’ll go up and shut the sluice in a few minutes, and by that time no doubt something new will come into my mind.” Janet came in and sat down, and the dust settled on her yellow hair till she looked like a snow-powdered fairy on the top of a Christmas cake. The miller thought it beautiful. As for little Peter, the creaking machinery was enough to keep him happy, and when they went to shut the sluice-gate, he danced and jumped the whole way there. “So here we’ll stay,” said the miller, when the water was turned off and they were sitting on a fallen tree at the edge of the mill-dam. “I have just remembered the story of Farmyard Maggie.”