CHAPTER VII
FLORIMEL IS ADOPTED BY KING STANISLAUS
Delighted beyond measure were all the Brownies with Prince Florimel'smost amazing feat, and their pleasure manifested itself in broad smilesupon smug faces, the nodding of round little heads, the slapping ofhands on each other's backs, and the good-natured poking of fists ineach other's stomachs.
They pressed close to Florimel and kept wringing his hand incongratulation. Not even a Brownie could do what he had done.
All wanted to examine the bow that had accomplished a result sowonderful. But it was just like the ordinary bow of any archer, andits wood and gut presented no solution of the remarkable happening;it was no story, they saw it themselves.
Then, noting that Florimel's attire was torn in many places, and thathere and there his fair flesh showed, they stripped him of his garments,replacing them with skin-tight trousers that with the greatestdifficulty they drew over his legs, long, tapering shoes, a jacket withbig buttons, and a pinnacle-shaped cap whose top could not sustainitself but fell over on his head.
Many nimble hands attended to his valeting, and though Florimel observedthat he was garbed as an ordinary Brownie, of which there were a largenumber, he was rejoiced at the eagerness they now displayed to transformhim to a Brownie, and make him one of themselves. Yet he could not helpthinking, as he glanced first at them, and then at himself, howdifferent he was from them all.
Try as they might they could not bestow on him the pop eyes, big ears,and broad, distended mouth that parted in a smile so evident of inwardsatisfaction. He was as fair and sightly as one could wish to be, yet hewould rather have looked like a Brownie. Only in size did he resembleone.
Some such thought must have been in the minds of the Brownies too, forthey seemed puzzled as they inspected their new comrade.
While they were making their first awkward overtures of friendship theattention of all was suddenly diverted to two ordinary Brownies rollinga watermelon up the steep hill. The melon was perhaps thrice their size,and they puffed and grunted over what to them was a herculean task.
Just when their labor promised to be light, with the crest of the hillalmost reached, they stopped to take their breath, and in doing sorelinquished their hold on the melon.
Bumpety-bumpety! it started rolling down the hill. Both ran after it inpursuit, then realizing that they were being distanced stood stock-stillwith horror on their faces. Bumpety-bumpety! came the big melon, withever increasing momentum, while the eyes of Florimel and all the restfollowed its erratic course down the hill--bumpety-bumpety!--with leapsand bounds--bumpety-bumpety!--first to one side, then to another,bumpety-bumpety!--till it finished with an extra high bound and squashedall to pieces right in their very midst. Little jets of sweet water shotin all directions from its sides as though projected from a syphon, andout from the juicy, luscious, red pulp exposed to view there crawledsheepishly on his hands and knees a little weazened old fellow who worean ermine cape and gold crown.
"Hail, Your Majesty!" shouted all the Brownies, and the little oldfellow stood up, rubbed himself, and said, rather ruefully:
"No, I'd rather reign!"
Then the Brownies, under the leadership of the Dude, yelled, in perfectunison:
"'Rah! 'rah! 'rah! Stan-is-laus! Siss-boom-ah!"
"Thanks!" graciously acknowledged His Majesty, adding by way ofexplanation:
"I chose this watermelon green To shun the treacherous submarine!"
Then a puzzled expression came to his face as his eye suddenly observedFlorimel.
"Why, who's this fellow?" he demanded. "You're not trying to make aBrownie of him, are you?"
Florimel's heart sank, for he realized that here was the king himself,whose word was absolute law to all these little people.
If he frowned down on any plans they had made in his behalf, all thehopes that had sprung up in his breast would be ruthlessly shattered.
The Brownies seemed troubled too, for they would not have broughtdispleasure to King Stanislaus for all the world.
While the new-comer stood looking timidly down, without daring to meetthe questioning gaze of that kindly but august monarch, his littlecompanions made bold to extol his virtues real and imaginary till theirtongues were all wagging at such a great rate that Florimel could nothelp but furiously blush.
First they pointed to the crescent moon, still pierced by the arrow,averring earnestly that it was Florimel's accomplishment, and the suddenstart King Stanislaus gave when he beheld this marvel showed that he wasproperly impressed.
Then they called his attention to the eagles' nest high up in the tree,explaining that it was there they first saw the stranger, after whichthey waited anxiously as did Florimel to hear what His Majesty wouldsay.
King Stanislaus looked not displeased, and one and all took heart.
"If Moses was found among the frogs, and Romulus among the wolves," saidthe monarch, with great deliberation, "then an eagles' nest is a fittingcradle for a Brownie prince!"
This speech caused the Brownies to burst into a sudden wild cheer thatmade the welkin ring, for they realized that not only had KingStanislaus set approval on what they had done, but he had gone muchfurther.
He had made Florimel his heir by adoption, and successor to the Browniethrone! "See that he is properly attired," was the royal command, andonce more Florimel's appearance underwent a swift and startling change.
From some invisible source fresh wardrobe was supplied, and from aplain, ordinary Brownie he was transformed into a handsome, dashinglittle prince as pert and pretty a sprig of royalty as one could see inmany a long journey over lands where there were kings and queens withlarge, flourishing families--in trunks, doublet, and cape, with a capthat perched jauntily upon his roguish curls.
Filled with gratitude was he over this great, this unexpected honor thathad befallen him and he expressed his thanks as best he could feelingthat the words he used were poor at best, but vowing loyalty andobedience in all things evermore to his gracious foster-parent.
"It will not be so very long, my son, before you occupy the throne,"said King Stanislaus, and his voice took on a rather pensive tone. "Afew short years--a couple of thousands or so--and I shall have passedaway. When I am gone I shall leave to you all-out-doors and the love ofchildren, a priceless heritage which you must treasure tenderly andnever lose."
Then came the Brownies with pledges of fealty to their prince, andFlorimel smiled back into their smiling faces, while all were glad.
The Policeman limping slightly came and offered him his club, butFlorimel good-humoredly refused it, and waved him aside. The Sailor camenext with his spy-glass, but Florimel laughingly declined it also.
Each of the band in a free-hearted way evinced a desire to surrender tohim his most cherished possession, and much touched was he by theirexpressions of good will. But the most he would accept was an eagle'sfeather which had been dropped by one of the birds to the ground, andwhich the Dude stuck in his cap.
Soon matters took on their usual routine, and, noticing that thePoliceman limped, King Stanislaus asked:
"Officer, what's the matter?"
"I fell off the palace-wall last night, Your Majesty, when I was tackingup the placard."
"What did you fall against?"
"I fell against my will. One of the fairy guards mistook me for anenemy, and fired a charge of shot at me."
"Did you press a complaint?"
"No, I withdrew the charge."
Into an admiring group some distance off the well-informed Dude wasinstilling the first principles of etiquette.
"It is not good form to try to eat your peas with a knife," he toldthem. "You should spear them with a fork."
And the Sailor was growling to the German:
"Avast there, you lubber! A dog-watch isn't a chronometer."
The Indian with a flourish of his tomahawk came running to KingStanislaus, and imparted the surprising intelligence:
"The dromedary
's swallowed all the door-knobs, and the knobs are in hisstomachs."
"Which one of his stomachs?"
"I don't know, Your Majesty."
"Can't you see which looks the knobbiest?"
Florimel could not but admire the shrewdness of King Stanislaus indisposing of all matters great and small, and he did not feel that hecould ever reign and be as wise as he.
The little monarch held his subjects under most admirable control, andin arguments that sometimes rose between them one word from his lipswould effectually settle all dispute.
And so they wandered on and on, hiding away from sight ere the firstrays of the morning sun could strike them, and sallying forth again whenthe stars began to shine at night.
Many a harmless prank they played, and helpful deed they did, in whichFlorimel took hearty part, and he grew to love them more and more, asthey did him.
One thing was a source of great surprise to him, yet, after heconsidered, it was not surprising, which was that all dumb creatures,whether of the fields or air, were the Brownies' friends, and lovedthem.
In countless ways they all evinced delight whenever these good-naturedlittle goblings were at hand, for they knew that they would help insteadof harm them.
Even the savage animals that had so lately thirsted for Florimel's bloodproved tractable, and neither they nor the Brownies showed the slightestfear of each other. The beasts grovelled and rolled over with pleasurewhen the Brownies playfully yanked and pulled their tails.
All was harmony between them, and the industrious animals went on withtheir task of gathering bones without caring whether the Brownies werenear or far.
So on they fared with light hearts that had never a care. The countrygrew less wild and mountainous, till there were emerald fields, greencopses, and flowers blooming everywhere. The sweet, caressing air hadjust a soft reminder of the sea in it.
And, while they hid away one day in a leafy covert, while the birds inthe branches round them were pouring their hearts out in gladness,piercing screams suddenly rent the air, and caused all great alarm."Let us make haste!" cried Florimel, springing to his feet. "There isdanger in that cry!"
But when he started King Stanislaus tried to hold him back. "Have acare, Florimel!" he warned. "It may be a decoy to entrap us!" "Let mego!" said Florimel, struggling.
He broke from King Stanislaus's kindly, well-meant grasp, and ran withmight and main in the direction from which the terrifying sounds stillcame. The Brownies looked at each other in great dismay. Into whatdanger had their beloved Prince Florimel so recklessly plunged, andwould they ever see his face again?
The Brownies and Prince Florimel; Or, Brownieland, Fairyland, and Demonland Page 8
