Part 20 (2/2)
So the entire party accompanied Kwytoffle into the house, where they entered a large room that was in a state of much disorder.
”Let me see,” said the sorcerer, rubbing his ears, as if trying to think; ”I wonder if I put them in this cupboard. You see,” he explained, ”no one has ever before dared me to transform him into a June-bug or gra.s.shopper, so I have almost forgotten where I keep my book of enchantments. No, it's not in the cupboard,” he continued, looking there; ”but it surely must be in this chest.”
It was not in the chest, either, and so the sorcerer continued to look in all sorts of queer places for his book of enchantments, without finding it. Whenever he paused in his search Prince Marvel would say, sternly:
”Go on! Find the book! Hunt it up. We are all anxious to become gra.s.shoppers.” And then Kwytoffle would set to work again, although big drops of perspiration were now streaming down his face.
Finally he pulled an old book from underneath the pillow of his bed, and crying, ”Here it is!” carried it to the window.
He turned a few leaves of the book and then said:
”How unfortunate! The compound I require to change you into gra.s.shoppers must be mixed on the first day of September; and as this is now the eighth day of September I must wait nearly a year before I can work the enchantment.”
”How about the June-bugs?” asked Nerle.
”Oh! Ah! The June-bug mixture can only be made at the dark o' the moon,” said the sorcerer, pretending to read, ”and that is three weeks from now.”
”Let me read it,” said Prince Marvel, suddenly s.n.a.t.c.hing the book from Kwytoffle's hands. Then he turned to the t.i.tle-page and read:
”'Lives of Famous Thieves and Impostors.' Why, this is not a book of enchantments.”
”That is what I suspected,” said Terribus.
”No one but a sorcerer can read the enchantments in this book,”
declared Kwytoffle; but he hung his head with a sheepish look, for he knew his deception had been well understood.
”Is your own history written in this volume?” inquired Marvel.
”No,” answered the sorcerer.
”Then it ought to be,” said the prince, ”for you are no sorcerer at all, but merely a thief and an impostor!”
22. The Queen of Plenta
The soldiers of Kwytoffle wanted to hang their old master at once, for he had won their enmity by abusing them in many ways; but Prince Marvel would not let them do this. However, they tied the false sorcerer to a post, and the captain gave him a good whipping--one lash for each letter in the words ”gra.s.shopper” and ”June-bug.” Kwytoffle howled loudly for mercy, but no one was at all sorry for him.
Wul-Takim tied a rope around the impostor's neck, and when the party left the castle they journeyed all through the kingdom of Auriel, and at every town or city they came to the reformed thief would cry out to the populace:
”Here is the terrible sorcerer Kwytoffle, who threatened to change you into gra.s.shoppers and june-bugs. But you may see that he is a very common man, with no powers of sorcery whatever!”
And then the people would laugh and pelt mud at their former tyrant, and thank Prince Marvel for haying exposed the false and wicked creature.
And they called the son of their old king back to his lawful throne, where he ruled wisely and well; and the h.o.a.rded wealth of Kwytoffle was divided among the people again, and soon the country became prosperous once more.
This adventure was very amusing to the pretty High Ki of Twi. It afforded them laughter for many days, and none of the party ever saw a gra.s.shopper or a june-bug afterward without thinking of the terrible sorcerer Kwytoffle.
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