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Then the King went to Prigio, and said that his country was in danger, and that he was determined to leave the crown to whichever of them would bring him the horns (for it has homs) and tail of the Firedrake.
"It is an awkward brute to tackle," the King said, "but you are the oldest, my lad; go where glory waits you! Put on your armour and be off with you!"
This the King said, hoping that either the Firedrake would roast Prince Prigio alive (which he could easily do, as 1 have said; for he is all over as hot as a red-hot poker), or that, if the Prince succeeded, at least his country would be freed from the monster.
But the Prince, who was lying on the sofa doing sums in compound division, for fun, said in the politest way:
"Thanks to the education Your Majesty has given me, I have teamed that the Firedrake, like the siren, the fairy, and so forth, is a fabulous animal which does not exist. But even granting, for the sake of argument, that there is a Firedrake, Your Majesty is well aware that there is no kind of use in sending me. It is always the eldest son who goes out first, and comes to grief on these occasions, and it is always the third son that succeeds. Send Aiphonso" (this was the youngest brother), "and he will do the trick at once. At least, if he fails, it will be most unusual, and Enrico can try his luck."
Then he went back to his arithmetic and his slate, and the King had to send for Prince Alphonso and Prince Enrico.
They both came in very warm; for they had been whipping tops, and the day was unusually hot.
"Look here," said the King, "just you two younger ones look at Prigio! You see how hot it is, and how coolly he takes it, and the country suffering; and all on account of a Firedrake, you know, which has apparently built Ilis nest not far off. Well, I have asked that lout of a brother of yours to kill it, and he says-"
"That he does not believe in Firedrakes," interrupted Prigio.
"The weather's warm enough without going out hunting!"
"Not believe in Firedrakes!" cried Alphonso. "I wonder what you do believe in! Just let me get at the creature!" For he was as brave as a lion. "Hi! page, my chain-armour, helmet, lance, and buckler! A Molinda! A Molinda!" (which was his war cry).
The page ran to get the armour, but it was 50 uncommonly hot that he dropped it, and put his fingers to his mouth, crying!
"You had better put on fla
"Happy thought!" said Alphonso. "I will!" And off he went, kissed his dear Molinda, bade her keep a iot of dances for him (there was to be a dance when he had killed the Firedrake), and then he rushed to the field!
But he never came back any more!
Everyone wept bitterly-everyone but Prince Prigio; for he thought it was a practical joke, and said that Alphonso had taken the opportunity to start off on his travels and see the world.
"There is some dreadful mistake, sir," said Prigio to the King. "You know as well as I do that the youngest son has always succeeded up to now. But I entertain great hopes for Enrico!"
And he gri
Enrico was present when Prigio was consoling the King in this unfeeling way.
"Enrico, my boy," saidtiis Majesty, "the task awaits you and the honour. When you come back with the horns and tail of the Firedrake you shall be crown prince; and Prigio shall be made an usher at the grammar school-it is all he is fit for."
Enrico was not quite so confident as Alphonso had been. He insisted on making his will; and he wrote a poem about the pleasures and advantages of dying young. This is part of it:
This poem comforted Enrico more or less, and he showed it to Prigio. But the Prince only laughed, and said that the second line of the last verse was not very good, for violets do not "roast, or boil, or broil, or bake." Enrico tried to improve it but could not. So he read it to his cousin. Lady Kathleena, just as it was; and she cried over it (though I don't think she understood it); and Enrico cried a little tooHowever, next day he started, with a spear, a portable refrigerator, and a lot of bottles people throw at fires to put them outBut he never came back again!
After shedding torrents of tears the King summoned Prince Prigio to his presence.
"Dastard!" he said. "Poltroon! Your turn, which should have come first, has arrived at last. You must fetch me the horns and the tail of the Firedrake. Probably you will be grilled, thank goodness; but who will give me back Enrico and Alphonso?"
"Indeed, Your Majesty," said Prigio, "you must permit me to correct your policy. Your only reason for dispatching your sons in pursuit of this dangerous but I believe fabulous animal was to ascertain which of us would most worthily succeed to your throne, at the date-long may it be deferred!-of your lamented decease. Now, there can be no further question about the matter. I, unworthy as I am, represent the sole hope of the royal family. Therefore to send me after the Firedrake were* both dangerous and u
Dangerous, because, if he treats me as you say he did my brothers-my unhappy brothers-the throne of Pantouflia will want an heir. But if I do come back alive-why, I ca
These arguments were so clearly and undeniably correct that the King, unable to answer them, withdrew into a solitary place where he could express himself with freedom and give rein to his passions.
"Subjunctive mood- He was a great grammarian!
Chapter IV
How Prince Prigio Was Deserted by
Evesybody Meanwhile Prince Prigio had to suffer many unpleasant things.
Though he was the crown prince (and though his arguments were unanswerable) everybody shu
The Queen, who did not believe in Firedrakes, alone took his side. He was not only avoided by all, but he had most disagreeable scenes with his own cousins. Lady Molinda and Lady Kathleena. In the garden Lady Molinda met him walking alone, and did not bow to him.
"Dear Molly," said the Prince, who liked her, "how have I been so unfortunate as to offend you?"
"My name. sir, is Lady Molinda." she said very proudly;
"and you have sent your own brother to his grave!"
"Oh, excuse me." said the Prince, "1 am certain he has merely gone off on his travels. He'll come back when he is tired: there are no Firedrakes; a French writer says they are purement fabuleux. purely fabulous, you know."
"Prince Alphonso has gone on his travels, and will come back when he is tired! And was he then-tired-of me?" cried poor Molinda, bursting into tears, and forgetting her dignity.
"Oh! I beg your pardon, I never noticed; I'm sure I'm very sorry," cried the Prince, who, never having been in love himself, never thought of other people. And he tried to take Molinda's hand. but she snatched it from him and ran away through me garden to the palace, leaving Prince Prigio to feel foolish for once, and ashamed.
As for Lady Kathleena, she swept past him like a queen, without a word- So the Prince, for all his cleverness, was not happy. After several days had gone by the King returned from the solitary place where he had been speaking his mind. He now felt calmer and better, and so at last he came back to the palace. But on seeing Prince Prigio, who was lolling in a hammock, translating Egyptian hieroglyphs into French poetry for his mother, the King broke out afresh, and made use of the most cruel and impolite expressions.
At last he gave orders that all the Court should pack up and move to a distant city; and that Prince Prigio should be left alone in the palace by himself. For he was quite unendurable, the King said, and he could not trust his own temper when he thought of him. And he grew so fierce that even the Queen was afraid of him now.
The poor Queen cried a good deal; Prigio being her favourite son, on account of his acknowledged ability and talent.
But the rest of the courtiers were delighted at leaving Prince Prigio behind. For his part, he, very good-naturedly, showed them the best and shortest road to Falkenstein, the city where they were going; and easily proved that neither the Chief Secretary for Geography nor the General of the Army knew anything about the matter-which, indeed, they did not.
The ungrateful courtiers left Prigio with hoots and yells, for they disliked him so much that they forgot he would be king one day. He therefore reminded them of this little fact in future history, which made them feel uncomfortable enough, and then lay down in his hammock and went asleep.
When he wakened the air was cold and the day was begi
Can you imagine anything more cruel and unjust than this conduct? For it was not the Prince's fault that he was so clever. The cruel fairy had made him so. But even if the Prince had been bom clever (as may have happened to you), was he to be blamed for that? The other people were just as much at fault for being bom so stupid; but the world, my dear children, can never be induced to remember this. If you are clever, you will find it best not to let people know it-if you want them to like you.