“The rest of the dinner was uneventful, and I was more and more impressed as the time went on with the gracious and simple bearing of the exalted personages of whom I was an uninvited guest.

“At last her Majesty rose, gave me a bow, and was led with old-fashioned courtesy by his Majesty to the door, which was thrown open by the servants, and the King and I were left alone to our coffee and cigars.  After we had talked on various subjects for some time, I ventured to express my admiration of, and devotion to, the gracious lady who had just left us, and the King’s eyes sparkled with delight.

“’You may well admire her, sir; she is rightly beloved for her graciousness and beauty from one end of my kingdom to the other, and her thoughtfulness and kindness to myself are beyond expression.

“’I must tell you of a little incident (which you have just shared in) to prove to you how wholly devoted she is to my interests.

“’I have, as many other royal personages have at times, some difficulty in regulating my affairs so as to make both ends meet comfortably.

“’Her Majesty knew of this, and immediately began to take cooking lessons with a view to cooking for us when we are alone, and thus saving expenses in the kitchen.  The tarts you tasted to-day are her Majesty’s first attempt.’

“‘R-eally!’ I murmured, seeing that the King paused as though he expected me to say something.

“‘Yes,’ continued his Majesty, ’and to-morrow she has made me promise to catch her some blackbirds, with which to make a pie.’

“‘Catch them?’ I cried; ‘why not shoot them?’

“’Oh! the Queen wouldn’t think of letting me do anything so cruel, she is so tender-hearted.  But you’ll come with me to-morrow, and help me to catch some, won’t you?’

“I assured his Majesty that unless I had unfortunately to disappear before then, I should be delighted, and we went up to join her Majesty in the drawing-room.

“We found the Queen surrounded by her Maids of Honour, of whom some were sitting at the tambour frames, others doing fine embroidery, while two of their number were at the piano playing and singing.

“I was presented to these ladies, and, at the Queen’s request, related some of the extraordinary adventures which, as you know, have, at one time or another in my long career, befallen me.  The evening was quite a success, and I felt that I had indeed fallen upon my feet in such charming company.

“At a moderately early hour we retired, and in the morning, soon after breakfast, his Majesty and I started on our expedition in quest of blackbirds for the Queen’s pie.

“Her Majesty and the Maids of Honour watched us start off from the balcony, and several retainers followed at a respectful distance, carrying various bags and implements of which I could not even imagine the uses.

“When we had got some distance from the Castle, his Majesty whispered to me confidentially that he must confess that he didn’t know much about this sort of thing.