[Illustration: THEN THE KING KNIGHTED HIM ON THE SPOT.]
Then he beamed. It was a new sensation, and a new sensation is a great
boon to a king.
"I never tasted anything so altogether superfine, so utterly
magnificent in my life," cried the king; "stewed peacocks' tongues
from the Baltic, are not to be compared with it! Call out the
housewife immediately!"
So Daphne came out trembling, and Patroclus and AEneas also.
"What a charming lad!" exclaimed the King as his glance fell upon
AEneas. "Now tell me about these wonderful pies, and I will reward you
as becomes a monarch!"
Then Patroclus fell on his knees and related the whole history of the
Giant's head pies from the beginning.
The King actually blushed. "And I forgot to knight you, oh noble and
brave man, and to make a lady of your admirable wife!"
Then the King leaned gracefully down from his saddle, and struck
Patroclus with his jeweled sword and knighted him on the spot.
The whole family went to live at the royal palace. The roses in the
royal gardens were uprooted, and Giant's heads (or pumpkins, as they
came to be called) were sown in their stead; all the royal parks also
were turned into pumpkin-fields.
Patroclus was in constant attendance on the King, and used to
stand all day in his ante-chamber. Daphne had a position of great
responsibility, for she superintended the baking of the pumpkin pies,
and AEneas finally married the Princess Ariadne Diana.
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