Opening, part 1 · page 21 2101You know it's the rule that the crown must be paid for by the people."102"But hadn't my great-great-however-much-it-is-grandfather a crown?"103"Yes, but he sent it to be tinned over, for fear of vanity, and he had had all the jewels taken out, and sold them to buy books.104He was a strange man; a very good King he was, but he had his faults--he was fond of books.105Almost with his last breath he sent the crown to be tinned--and he never lived to pay the tinsmith's bill."106Here the Prime Minister wiped away a tear, and just then the carriage stopped and Lionel was taken out of the carriage to be crowned.107Being crowned is much more tiring work than you would suppose, and by the time it was over, and Lionel had worn the Royal robes for an hour or two and had had his hand kissed by everybody whose business it was to do it, he was quite worn out, and was very glad to get into the Palace nursery.108Nurse was there, and tea was ready: seedy cake and plummy cake, and jam and hot buttered toast, and the prettiest china with red and gold and blue flowers on it, and real tea, and as many cups of it as you liked.109After tea Lionel said: "I think I should like a book.110Will you get me one, Nurse?"111"Bless the child," said Nurse. "112You don't suppose you've lost the use of your legs with just being a King?113Run along, do, and get your books yourself."114So Lionel went down into the library.115The Prime Minister and the Chancellor were there, and when Lionel came in they bowed very low, and were beginning to ask Lionel most politely what on earth he was coming bothering for now--when Lionel cried out: "Oh, what a worldful of books!116Are they yours?"117"They are yours, Your Majesty," answered the Chancellor. "118They were the property of the late King, your great-great--"119"Yes, I know," Lionel interrupted. "120Well, I shall read them all.121I love to read.122I am so glad I learned to read."123"If I might venture to advise Your Majesty," said the Prime Minister, "I should not read these books.124Your great--"125"Yes?" said Lionel, quickly.126"He was a very good King--oh, yes, really a very superior King in his way, but he was a little--well, strange."127"Mad?" asked Lionel, cheerfully.128"No, no"--both the gentlemen were sincerely shocked. "129Not mad; but if I may express it so, he was--er--too clever by half.130And I should not like a little King of mine to have anything to do with his books."131Lionel looked puzzled.132"The fact is," the Chancellor went on, twisting his red beard in an agitated way, "your great--"133"Go on," said Lionel.134"--was called a wizard."135"But he wasn't?"136"Of course not--a most worthy King was your great--"137"I see."138"But I wouldn't touch his books."139"Just this one," cried Lionel, laying his hands on the cover of a great brown book that lay on the study table.140It had gold patterns on the brown leather, and gold clasps with turquoises and rubies in the twists of them, and gold corners, so that the leather should not wear out too quickly.141"I must look at this one," Lionel said, for on the back in big letters he read: _The Book of Beasts_.142The Chancellor said, "Don't be a silly little King."143But Lionel had got the gold clasps undone, and he opened the first page, and there was a beautiful Butterfly all red, and brown, and yellow, and blue, so beautifully painted that it looked as if it were alive.144"There," said Lionel, "Isn't that lovely?145Why--"146But as he spoke the beautiful Butterfly fluttered its many-colored wings on the yellow old page of the book, and flew up and out of the window.147"Well!" said the Prime Minister, as soon as he could speak for the lump of wonder that had got into his throat and tried to choke him, "that's magic, that is."148But before he had spoken, the King had turned the next page, and there was a shining bird complete and beautiful in every blue feather of him.149Under him was written, "Blue Bird of Paradise," and while the King gazed enchanted at the charming picture the Blue Bird fluttered his wings on the yellow page and spread them and flew out of the book.150Then the Prime Minister snatched the book away from the King and shut it up on the blank page where the bird had been, and put it on a very high shelf.151And the Chancellor gave the King a good shaking, and said: "You're a naughty, disobedient little King!" and was very angry indeed.152"I don't see that I've done any harm," said Lionel.153He hated being shaken, as all boys do; he would much rather have been slapped.154"No harm?" said the Chancellor. "155Ah--but what do you know about it?156That's the question.157How do you know what might have been on the next page--a snake or a worm, or a centipede or a revolutionist, or something like that."158"Well, I'm sorry if I've vexed you," said Lionel. "159Come, let's kiss and be friends."160So he kissed the Prime Minister, and they settled down for a nice quiet game of noughts and crosses while the Chancellor went to add up his accounts.161But when Lionel was in bed he could not sleep for thinking of the book, and when the full moon was shining with all her might and light he got up and crept down to the library and climbed up and got _The Book of Beasts_.162He took it outside to the terrace, where the moonlight was as bright as day, and he opened the book, and saw the empty pages with "Butterfly" and "Blue Bird of Paradise" underneath, and then he turned the next page.163There was some sort of red thing sitting under a palm tree, and under it was written "Dragon."164The Dragon did not move, and the King shut up the book rather quickly and went back to bed.165But the next day he wanted another look, so he took the book out into the garden, and when he undid the clasps with the rubies and turquoises, the book opened all by itself at the picture with "Dragon" underneath, and the sun shone full on the page.166And then, quite suddenly, a great Red Dragon came out of the book and spread vast scarlet wings and flew away across the garden to the far hills, and Lionel was left with the empty page before him, for the page was quite empty except for the green palm tree and the yellow desert, and the little streaks of red where the paintbrush had gone outside the pencil outline of the Red Dragon.167And then Lionel felt that he had indeed done it.168He had not been King twenty-four hours, and already he had let loose a Red Dragon to worry his faithful subjects' lives out.169And they had been saving up so long to buy him a crown, and everything!170Lionel began to cry.171The Chancellor and the Prime Minister and the Nurse all came running to see what was the matter.172And when they saw the book they understood, and the Chancellor said: "You naughty little King!173Put him to bed, Nurse, and let him think over what he's done."174"Perhaps, my Lord," said the Prime Minister, "we'd better first find out just exactly what he has done."175Then Lionel, in floods of tears, said: "It's a Red Dragon, and it's gone flying away to the hills, and I am so sorry, and, oh, do forgive me!"176But the Prime Minister and the Chancellor had other things to think of than forgiving Lionel.177They hurried off to consult the police and see what could be done.178Everyone did what they could.179They sat on committees and stood on guard, and lay in wait for the Dragon, but he stayed up in the hills, and there was nothing more to be done.180The faithful Nurse, meanwhile, did not neglect her duty.181Perhaps she did more than anyone else, for she slapped the King and put him to bed without his tea, and when it got dark she would not give him a candle to read by.1 2next →Opening, part 2↑ back to The Book of DragonsThis page in Markdown → https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg23661/1/page/2/