Part 10 (1/2)
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 pa.s.sed with night, they were too brave to desert a comrade when danger threatened.
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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 some to places of safety, where they could receive proper treatment. In this work even the Chinaman willingly a.s.sisted.
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A group of curious sprites with much interest inspected several of the creature's tentacles, while Queen t.i.tania's overjoyed subjects crowded around Florimel with such profuse expressions of grat.i.tude that he was much embarra.s.sed.
”What did I tell you?” cried Violet, and ”What did I tell you?” echoed Daffodil, while all with much timidity examined the green, mottled sh.e.l.l that lay in halves upon the ground. ”That was the horrid thing we saw in the clock.”
”Well, never mind now,” said Queen t.i.tania, with a sigh of relief. ”The monster will not trouble us again.”
In spite of what the queen said, Florimel was not so sure that they would have no more trouble, since he had seen the wraith-like Red Spirit fly from the sh.e.l.l of the Human Octopus off into the air.
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Somewhere he feared this strange, evil being lurked to wreak further harm. Not wis.h.i.+ng to cause uneasiness to Queen t.i.tania, however, he said never a word.
Then Brownies and fairies mingled together in happy, joyous mood. But Florimel and t.i.tania withdrew from all the rest, and had eyes only for each other.
”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.
”Avast, you lubber!” sharply reproved the Sailor. ”Now what d'ye mean?”
”I mean that Florimel has fallen in love with the queen, and will marry her.”
”How can he? Florimel is a Brownie, and Brownies never marry.”
”But Florimel is not a real Brownie. He's only been taken into the band.
Just look at them now!”
The Sailor c.o.c.ked his eye to where Florimel was bending over t.i.tania, with his head very close to hers.
”s.h.i.+ver my timbers!” he cried. ”They do look orange-blossomy!”
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Noting the impression Queen t.i.tania was making upon Prince Florimel, Dame Drusilda determined to exercise her arts upon the immaculate little Dude, with whom she was very much taken.
”I hear,” she remarked to the Student, ”that he is connected with the best families.”
”Yes,” he replied, rather enviously, ”he sometimes is by telephone.”
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:
”Ah, sir, in your pretty ways you remind me of the gallants of old times!”
”You must be able to remember quite far back,” he said, as he looked at her through his monocle.
”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. As you can plainly see I am different from other fairies. They call me a beauty of the old school.”