The Peacemaker
did you not bring me my coat—my pearly coat?" said the King, "it was in the case with the others."
No one had thought of it, and everyone felt and looked exceedingly silly, and no one spoke till Ulfin said, holding out the coat which the Princess had given back to him—
"You will have this coat, Majesty. I have no right to the magic garments of your country."
"But," said Francis, "you need the coat more than anybody. The King shall have mine—I shan't want it if you'll let me go and ask for an interview with the King of the Under Folk."
"No, have mine," said Mavis—and "have mine," said Bernard, and the Princess said, "Of course my Father will have mine." So they all protested at once. But the King raised his hand, and there was silence, and they saw that he no longer looked only a noble and learned gentleman, but that he looked every inch a King.
"Silence," he said, "if anyone speaks with the King and Queen of this land it is fitting that it should be I. See, we will go out by the back door, so as to avoid the other pupils who will soon be arriving in their thousands, for my Conchology Course is very popular. And as we go, tell me who is this man of the Under Folk who seems to be one of you"—("I am the Princess' servant," Ulfin put in)—"and why you desire to speak with the King of this land."
So they made great haste to go out by the back way so as not to meet the Conchology students, and cautiously crept up to their horses—and, of course, the biggest and best horse was given to the King to ride. But when he saw how awkwardly their false tails adapted themselves to the saddle he said, "My daughter, you can remove these fetters."
"How?" said she. "My shell knife won't cut them."
"Bite through the strings of them with your little sharp teeth," said the King, "nothing but Princess teeth is sharp enough to cut
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