The King, Merse II, was quite an agreeable looking man, with the typical chubby face of the Snergs framed in a fringe of black whiskers that resembled chinchilla. He was fully four feet in height, broad and inclined to stoutness. He bade the children be seated on either side of him and spoke to them kindly, hoping that they were not too tired with the journey and inquiring politely after the health of Miss Watkyns and the other ladies. Joe and Sylvia were rather shy but very pleased; it now seemed to them that they had acted quite wisely in making this absurd expedition.
Then the King turned to Gorbo, who stood cap in hand, still holding on to his bundle and other matters. I will endeavour to give as literal a translation of the talk as possible.
“Hail, Gorbo, cleverest and brightest of the Snergs we don’t think,” said the King.
“Hail, King. May your shadow be ever a wide one.” (This is the formal reply to a Royal salutation.)
“And what doest thou here with these young ones, O Ornament to the race the other way round?”
“I met them in the woodland, O King,” replied Gorbo, now getting very nervous.
“Yes. And in what part of that wide address didst thou find them, thou first-class brain perhaps not?”
“Er—just this side of Toadstool Hollow, O King.”
“Ha! And had’st thou, thou nimble lout, any hand in inducing them to wander further from their home?”
Gorbo went down upon his knees, as a good safe position. “No, O King, not at all. They said they were coming here, so I—I showed them the way.”
“Excellent! And it did not occur to thee, thou farthing rascal, to lead them back to their little home by the sea?”
“N—no, O King, I—I didn’t think.”
“That we believe, thou worse than worm.”
The King crossed his legs and meditated, with his chin resting on his hand. “And what,” he asked at length, turning to Joe, “will Miss Watkyns (on whom be peace) think of these thy wanderings?”
“I don’t know, O King,” replied Joe, hoping he was saying it correctly. “We just scooted. For fun,” he added to make it sound more reasonable.
“For fun, sayest thou, small man! And had’st thou wandered with this golden-haired babe into parts where the trees are locked like twisted serpents and there is no light, wouldst thou then have found thy fun?”
Joe wriggled and felt horribly uncomfortable. The King then turned to the Master of the Household, who was standing by the kneeling Gorbo, contemptuously snipping at his ears.
“And what thinkest thou of this strange matter?” he asked.
“I think,” replied the officer, “that it were a good excuse for a feast.”
“Excellently said!” exclaimed the King. “So be it. We will first dispatch fleet messengers to Miss Watkyns to calm her fears, and then celebrate the visit of these tiny ones” (they were nearly as tall as he was) “by a banquet of the best. But,” he added, pointing the finger of scorn at Gorbo, “give to this all but black-beetle a courteous loving invitation to stay away from it.”
“Please, O King,” began Sylvia timidly. Then she stopped suddenly, for everybody had turned to look at her.
“Speak on, pretty one,” said the King, encouragingly, laying his hand upon her curls. “What hair!”
“Please, it wasn’t Gorbo’s fault,” went on Sylvia. “You see—er—O King, Joe and I ran away—for fun—and Gorbo found us when we were hungry and he gave us lots to eat. And he got some milk from a deer for us, and found us a bear to ride part of the way.”
“Gorbo’s a jolly good sort, O King,” added Joe.
“Oh, then that alters the case,” said the King briskly. (He was rather impulsive). “Rise, Gorbo. We cancel the invitation and command you to feast with us this day—but not too near us. The safe arrival of these little ones across the forest,” he added in a general way to everybody, “together with the discovery of a gleam of sense in that varlet, make this indeed a day of strange happenings.”
Sylvia and Joe were then taken charge of by the Queen, a fat, smiling person who came into the audience chamber at this point. They had first a good wash, and then a toothsome little snack of bean fritters mixed with honey, and a cup of milk, to carry on with until the time of the feast, and Tiger had a large plate of bread sop with meat in it, after which he went to sleep for hours. While they were eating the Queen came with a comb and fluffed out Sylvia’s hair and put some fancy extra curls in it. Then, after a little rest, they went to watch the preparations outside.
It was an interesting sight. The people had not had a feast for more than a week and it came as a welcome change. Men were staggering about with tables and joining them end on in the proper way, and placing stools and benches in position. There were 38 tables altogether and each one was about 12 feet long—38 × 12 = 456 feet—so you will see that a noble spread it was going to be; it reached from the Royal House to as far as beyond the market-place. From every kitchen came the smell of savoury baked meats. At the open windows little stout women could be seen rolling out pastry. Grave, responsible Snergs measured the mead into jars and placed them at the proper intervals on the tables. Harpers put new strings to their harps. The Court jester went to his attic and got out a little secret volume from beneath the mattress and mugged up some merry jests.