“Fortunately there were plenty of nettles to be found in a neglected corner of the garden, and I quickly applied the remedy, which worked, as the saying is, ‘like magic,’ for the Grand Panjandrum’s Chief Cook’s face resumed its normal size at once, and the pain vanished immediately.

“It is needless to say that he was very grateful, and we were walking back to the Palace, where he had just promised to regale me with some of the choicest viands in his larder, when we met, coming towards us, a most doleful-looking individual, clothed in black and wearing a most woebegone visage.

“‘It’s the Court Physician,’ said the Cook; ’I wonder why he is looking so melancholy.  May I venture to ask, sir,’ he inquired respectfully, ‘the occasion of your sorrow?’

“‘I am to be executed to-morrow by the Grand Panjandrum’s order,’ said the Court Physician dolefully, wiping a tear of self-pity from his eye.

“The Chief Cook shrugged his shoulders.  ‘H’m!’ said he, ’if that’s the case, and His Supreme Importance has ordered your execution, nobody can possibly prevent it, and there is nothing left but to grin and bear it.’

“‘No,’ said the Court Physician indignantly.  ’I may have to bear it, but I shall not grin.  I absolutely refuse!  They can’t do more than kill me, and I won’t grin, so there!’

“The Chief Cook looked horrified.  ‘It’s one of the laws of the land,’ he said, ’that whenever one suffers anything at the hands of the Grand Panjandrum, one must grin and bear it; it’s a most terrible offence not to do so.’

“‘I don’t care,’ said the Court Physician recklessly, ’I shan’t grin, and there’s an end of it.’

“‘Why are you sentenced to death?’ I asked.

“’His Supreme Importance, the Grand Panjandrum, has had the toothache for three days, and I have been unable to subdue it without drawing the tooth, which His Supreme Importance refuses to permit me to do, and in a fit of temper yesterday he said that if he were not better to-day I should be executed to-morrow—­and it’s worse.’

“The Chief Cook looked at me delightedly.

“‘If that’s all,’ he said, ’this gentleman, whose name I am unfortunately unacquainted with, has a remedy which will soon get you out of your trouble, and I shouldn’t wonder if, after all, His Supreme Importance’s toothache were the means of raising us all to honour and distinction;’ and he proceeded to tell the Court Physician how I had been successful in ridding him of the toothache.

“The Court Physician was greatly interested, and after I had read to him the directions in the book, he suggested that he should take me to the Palace at once and into the presence of the Grand Panjandrum.

“’For no doubt the operation must be performed by yourself, since you alone possess the fairy power,’ said he.  And so we made the best of our way to the beautiful building which I could see in the distance.