Then Patroclus picked up an enormous Young Plantagenet and threw it plump into the Pumpkin Giant’s mouth.  The Giant choked and gasped, and choked and gasped, and finally tumbled down and died.

[Illustration:  HE PICKED UP AN ENORMOUS YOUNG PLANTAGENET AND THREW IT AT HIM.]

Patroclus and AEneas while the Giant was choking, had run to the house and locked themselves in; then they looked out of the kitchen window; when they saw the Giant tumble down and lie quite still, they knew he must be dead.  Then Daphne was immediately cured of the Giant’s Shakes, and got out of bed for the first time in two years.  Patroclus sharpened the carving-knife on the kitchen stove, and they all went out into the potato-field.

They cautiously approached the prostrate Giant, for fear he might be shamming, and might suddenly spring up at them and—­AEneas.  But no, he did not move at all; he was quite dead.  And, all taking turns, they hacked off his head with the carving-knife.  Then AEneas had it to play with, which was quite appropriate, and a good instance of the sarcasm of destiny.

The King was notified of the death of the Pumpkin Giant, and was greatly rejoiced thereby.  His Giant’s Shakes ceased, the props were removed from the throne, and the Princess Ariadne Diana was allowed to go out without her body-guard of fifty knights, much to her delight, for she found them a great hindrance to the enjoyment of her daily outings.

It was a great cross, not to say an embarrassment, when she was gleefully rolling in pursuit of a charming red and gold butterfly, to find herself suddenly stopped short by an armed knight with his lance in rest.

But the King, though his gratitude for the noble deed knew no bounds, omitted to give the promised reward and knight Patroclus.

I hardly know how it happened—­I don’t think it was anything intentional.  Patroclus felt rather hurt about it, and Daphne would have liked to be a lady, but AEneas did not care in the least.  He had the Giant’s head to play with and that was reward enough for him.  There was not a boy in the neighborhood but envied him his possession of such a unique plaything; and when they would stand looking over the wall of the potato-field with longing eyes, and he was flying over the ground with the head, his happiness knew no bounds; and AEneas played so much with the Giant’s head that finally late in the fall it got broken and scattered all over the field.

[Illustration:  THEY WERE ALL OVER THE FIELD.]

Next spring all over Patroclus’s potato-field grew running vines, and in the fall Giant’s heads.  There they were all over the field, hundreds of them!  Then there was consternation indeed!  The natural conclusion to be arrived at when the people saw the yellow Giant’s heads making their appearance above the ground was, that the rest of the Giants were coming.

“There was one Pumpkin Giant before,” said they, “now there will be a whole army of them.  If it was dreadful then what will it be in the future?  If one Pumpkin Giant gave us the Shakes so badly, what will a whole army of them do?”