<p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_80" id="Page_80">[80]</SPAN></span></p>
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<h2 class="left">CHAPTER VIII</h2>
<p class="st2">QUEEN TITANIA’S<br/>
GREAT PERIL</p>
<p class="cap"><span class="upper2">Prince Florimel</span> sped with the
fleetness of a deer in the direction from
which had come those agonizing cries
for help.</p>
<p>As he fairly flew over the ground
he saw the fairies and Cupids who had
been Titania’s companions, and they
pointed in a frenzy of alarm to the
clump of rainbow roses in the midst
of which their unfortunate queen
was in the clutches of the dreadful
Human Octopus.</p>
<p>The monster was still tightening his vise-like grip, and tortured
by the pain of his loathsome embrace, Titania was fast
relapsing into unconsciousness.
<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_81" id="Page_81">[81]</SPAN></span></p>
</div>
<div class="figcenter"> <ANTIMG src="images/i075.png" width-obs="455" height-obs="226" alt="Pointing" title="" /></div>
<p>Florimel drew near, and was aghast at what he beheld.</p>
<p>As his eye took in the frightening spectacle he realized that
there was not a moment to lose.</p>
<p>Quick as a flash he whipped an arrow from his quiver and
placed it to the bow.</p>
<p>He aimed the arrow straight at the Human Octopus, and
back to its greatest tension pulled the cord.</p>
<p>Once again the cord proved true, and the speeding arrow
cleft the Human Octopus in twain.</p>
<p>His shell fell instantly apart, and from the interior there
flew away into space a vapory-looking object with a long,
trailing red cloak that had all the lightness and airiness of
gauze.</p>
<p>Dumfounded was Florimel by this most unexpected and
amazing sight, but there were other matters more urgent and
pressing to demand his immediate attention.</p>
<div class="figcenter"> <ANTIMG src="images/i076.png" width-obs="442" height-obs="374" alt="Cleft" title="" /></div>
<p>With her strength almost spent Titania reeled and seemed
about to faint, but Florimel sprang to her aid, and sustained her
in his arms.<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_82" id="Page_82">[82]</SPAN></span></p>
<p>He strove to assure her that there was nothing further to
fear until at last she began to recover her composure.
“Noble prince,” she murmured, in tones that thrilled him,
“you have saved my life, so henceforth it is yours!”</p>
<p>Florimel sank upon one knee before her, and kissed the pink
finger-tips of the dainty hand she extended to him.</p>
<p>Looking up into her face, he thought he had never seen anyone
so beautiful as she, while her tiny heart throbbed faster
at the sight of him in all his gallant trappings, and she was
very sure she had never seen anyone so handsome.<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_83" id="Page_83">[83]</SPAN></span></p>
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<p>Then came in the greatest excitement all the fairies and
Brownies, for these latter little people when Florimel left them
had followed close upon his heels to aid
him if need be, since, in
spite of mystic power
that had temporarily passed with night, they were too brave to
desert a comrade when
danger
threatened.</p>
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<p>The
horror
and fear
of what
they had
just witnessed was too much for many of the fairies, and the
kind-hearted Brownies had the interesting task of conveying<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_84" id="Page_84">[84]</SPAN></span>
some to places of safety, where they could receive proper treatment.
In this work even the Chinaman willingly assisted.</p>
</div>
<div class="figcenter"> <ANTIMG src="images/i078.png" width-obs="454" height-obs="337" alt="To safety" title="" /></div>
<p>A group of curious sprites with much interest inspected several
of the creature’s tentacles, while Queen Titania’s overjoyed
subjects crowded around Florimel with such profuse expressions
of gratitude that he was much embarrassed.</p>
<p>“What did I tell you?” cried Violet, and “What did I tell
you?” echoed Daffodil, while all with much timidity examined
the green, mottled shell that lay in halves upon the ground.
“That was the horrid thing we saw in the clock.”</p>
<p>“Well, never mind now,” said Queen Titania, with a sigh of
relief. “The monster will not trouble us again.”</p>
<p>In spite of what the queen said, Florimel was not so sure<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_85" id="Page_85">[85]</SPAN></span>
that they would have no more trouble, since he had seen the
wraith-like Red Spirit fly from the shell of the Human Octopus
off into the air.</p>
<div class="figcenter"> <ANTIMG src="images/i079.png" width-obs="390" height-obs="202" alt="The shell" title="" /></div>
<p>Somewhere he feared this strange, evil being lurked to wreak
further harm. Not wishing to cause uneasiness to Queen Titania,
however, he said never a word.</p>
<p>Then Brownies and fairies mingled together in happy, joyous
mood. But Florimel and Titania withdrew from all the
rest, and had eyes only for each other.</p>
<p>“I think I can guess how all this is going to end,” said the
Policeman to the Sailor, in a voice that showed great resentment.</p>
<p>“Avast, you lubber!” sharply reproved the Sailor. “Now
what d’ye mean?”</p>
<p>“I mean that Florimel has fallen in love with the queen, and
will marry her.”</p>
<p>“How can he? Florimel is a Brownie, and Brownies never
marry.”<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_86" id="Page_86">[86]</SPAN></span></p>
<p>“But Florimel is not a real Brownie. He’s only been taken
into the band. Just look at them now!”</p>
<p>The Sailor cocked his eye to where Florimel was bending
over Titania, with his head very close to hers.</p>
<p>“Shiver my timbers!” he cried. “They do look orange-blossomy!”</p>
<div class="figleft"> <ANTIMG src="images/i080.png" width-obs="246" height-obs="234" alt="Dame Drusilda and the Dude" title="" /></div>
<p>Noting the impression Queen Titania was making upon
Prince Florimel, Dame
Drusilda determined to
exercise her arts upon
the immaculate little
Dude, with whom she was
very much taken.</p>
<p>“I hear,” she remarked
to the Student, “that he
is connected with the best
families.”</p>
<p>“Yes,” he replied, rather
enviously, “he sometimes
is by telephone.”</p>
<p>But as soon as she could do so she joined the group in which
the Dude held forth vivaciously, and when opportunity presented
itself contrived to say:</p>
<p>“Ah, sir, in your pretty ways you remind me of the gallants
of old times!”</p>
<p>“You must be able to remember quite far back,” he said, as
he looked at her through his monocle.</p>
<p>“Forsooth, kind sir,” she hastened to say, “I only speak
through hearsay. What I know my great-grandmother told
my grandmother, who told my mother, who in turn told me.<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_87" id="Page_87">[87]</SPAN></span>
As you can plainly see I am different from other fairies. They
call me a beauty of the old school.”</p>
<p>“Hasn’t school been out a good many years?” he asked.</p>
<p>“I fail to comprehend you,” she said, with a blush. “Mayhap
you are not susceptible to beauty. Yet I have heard it often
remarked that a beautiful woman can make the strongest man
go down on his knees.”</p>
<p>The Dude gave his cuffs an admiring glance.</p>
<p>“So can a collar-button!” he said.</p>
<p>The day passed in sports and merry-making, followed by
other days in which the Brownies remained in close proximity
to the palace. During all this time Florimel and Titania were
much together, and their attachment for each other was remarked
by all.</p>
<div class="figcenter"> <ANTIMG src="images/i081.png" width-obs="405" height-obs="267" alt="Merry-making" title="" /></div>
<p>The Brownies, growing uneasy over the thought that they<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_88" id="Page_88">[88]</SPAN></span>
might lose their new companion to whom they had become so
friendly, were eager to move on in quest of fresh scenes and
adventures.</p>
<p>King Stanislaus, with the belief that this might be a passing
fancy on the part of Florimel, humored his wishes, and ordered
the band to remain. When he reached the definite conclusion
that it was not, he said:</p>
<p>“My son, we have been here now quite a long time. Do you
not think we had better seek some other place where we can
do good?”</p>
<p>Florimel’s face showed his disappointment.</p>
<p>“No matter where one may be,” he said, “there are always
plenty of opportunities to do good. Why not continue here,
where we are all so happy?”</p>
<p>“I hope to make Titania my wife,” said Florimel simply.</p>
<p>“And where you are happiest of all,” said His Majesty, with
a knowing wink. “Ah, Florimel, my boy, your whole life-story,
like nearly every other man’s, may be summed up in just
these three words: hatched, matched, dispatched! Tell me
how far matters have gone.”</p>
<p>He looked anxiously at King Stanislaus’s face, as though he
feared to see displeasure written there, but the genial, encouraging
smile upon the royal countenance caused him to take
heart.</p>
<p>“I shall be sorry to lose a son,” said the kindly monarch,
“but I shall be rejoiced to gain a daughter. Frankly it has
always been my great desire to have an alliance of the Brownies
and fairies, for together we can do more good than if we worked
alone. But until you came I never knew how this could be
effected, for Brownies can never marry.”<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_89" id="Page_89">[89]</SPAN></span></p>
<p>“Much pleased am I by those words, Your Majesty,” said
Florimel. “I do not deny that I wish to be with Titania, for
my feelings as far as she is concerned are too plain to be disguised.
Still it is not alone the joy of being near her that causes
me to wish this, but the thought that harm may come to her at
any time, in which case I might be able to be of service to her.”</p>
<div class="figcenter"> <ANTIMG src="images/i082.png" width-obs="445" height-obs="345" alt="Brownies and Fairies" title="" /></div>
<p>King Stanislaus seemed very much surprised.</p>
<p>“Harm!” he repeated. “What harm can befall her?”</p>
<p>“You forget the great danger she was in from the Human
Octopus,” reminded Florimel.</p>
<p>“But the Human Octopus is no more,” said the king.<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_90" id="Page_90">[90]</SPAN></span>
“There is nothing to fear on that score, drop him from memory.”</p>
<p>“Still Dragonfel the enchanter has made his threats,”
said Florimel. “They may be wild, foolish threats, yet they
cause me great uneasiness. I fear for the queen because of
him.”</p>
<p>Then he told the king for the first time how the Red Spirit,
after the Human Octopus had been cleft in twain by the magic
arrow, had flown away into the air, to bide his time, perhaps
for further mischief and wrong-doing.</p>
<p>His Majesty’s little weazened face turned very grave at
the recital.</p>
<p>“Still, Florimel, I would not worry,” he said. “I will caution
all the band to keep a sharp look-out for the rascal. And
do you, my son,
woo and win,
Titania, for my
blessing will fall
upon you both.”</p>
<div class="figleft"> <ANTIMG src="images/i083.png" width-obs="322" height-obs="244" alt="Conversation" title="" /></div>
<p>To that end
Florimel exerted
himself,
but it was an
easy task, since
Titania loved
him fully as
dearly as he
her. So when
they were seated once at twilight on a stone bench in the palace-garden,
very close to each other, he asked the question ever
trembling on his lips, and she did not say him nay.<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_91" id="Page_91">[91]</SPAN></span></p>
<p>Then Florimel took a slender circlet of gold and placed it
on her tiny engagement finger. But, while she first looked at
it, then pressed it very tenderly to her little red pouting lips,
the Red Spirit suddenly darted from behind the bench, where
he had been eavesdropping all the while.</p>
<p>Before Florimel could reach for an arrow the other flew off
in the air and disappeared.</p>
<p>“What was that?” Titania cried, in great alarm.</p>
<p>Florimel strove to ease her mind, though he was much
alarmed himself.</p>
<p>He felt that the Red Spirit was going to make trouble.</p>
<div class="figcenter"> <ANTIMG src="images/i084.png" width-obs="226" height-obs="199" alt="Taking a bow" title="" /></div>
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