Ford Madox Ford

“ And once again she watered her favourite plants, for the last time, and then flew right up into the air and away, away over the troubled seas, to the land that lay low in the horizon.
"How delightful it feels not to be a Queen any longer!" she said to herself. "I always used to feel afraid, when I sat under that great crown, that it might fall on my head and squash me altogether. But I wonder how the bat got on." ”

“ So the Queen was very much beloved in the bird-meadow, and the gulls would come out of the shining pools to greet her when she came in the freshness of the morning, and the herons would lay fish at her feet, and the peewits would perch upon her shoulder and fly round her head, and the whirr of wings was everywhere. But the geese were her guard of honour. ”

“ The Queen flew straight up into the air, and she had reached a dizzy height before she thought of what she was doing.
To tell the truth, she was a little sorrowful at the thought of leaving the geese; for, with the exception of the old bat, they had been almost her only friends.
"I wish they could have flown with me," she said to herself. "But, good gracious, how high I am getting! I shall be losing my way. Why, the earth looks quite small and quite like a map."
And so it did. Then an idea struck the Queen.
"Suppose I were to fly right up to the sun; what fun it would be!" ”

“ And then, towards sunset, they all rose in the air, and the Queen with them, and went whirling round in great clouds of rustling pinions, dyed red in the sunset, geese and peewits, and snipe and herons, all wheeling about in sheer delight of life; until, when the sun was almost down, the geese, with a great cry of farewell, flew off through the gloaming with the Queen towards the hut. ”

“ And the dead bodies of the green Earth-spirits grew out of the Earth, too, and became the fruits of the Earth; but the dead bodies of the Sun and Moon warriors became gold and silver, and men dig them out of the Earth.
"But still the quarrel goes on; for gold and silver are man's greatest curse, and the fruits of the Earth his one blessing."
And so with tales and work they beguiled the time of the waiting for the snow's melting, and at last it came. The valley was filled with the roaring of the brook, grown large with the melting of the snows, and the robin sang from the copses. ”

“ The Queen put up one hand to hold her crown on, and the other to shield her eyes, and then flew as fast as she could, with her hair streaming out upon the wind.
Right through the startled geese she went, and the old woman and the cat followed after; but, fast as she went, they gained upon her, and at last the cat was almost upon her. In despair, she doubled back and almost ran into the old woman, who aimed a furious blow at her with her broom; but the Queen just dodged it, and it lighted full in the face of the cat, and, locked fast together, the cat and the old woman whirled to the ground. ”

“ And there, in a hollow among the sand-dunes, stood a funny little black erection, such as you might see upon a beach.
So the Queen alighted and walked towards the house. In front of the door a cat was sitting—a black cat. But not a magnificent creature with a glossy coat that sits on the rug in front of the drawing-room fire and only drinks cream, deeming mice too vulgar. This was a long-limbed, little creature, that looked half-starved and seemed as if its proper occupation would be stealing along, very lanky and grim in the moonlight, over the dunes to catch rabbits. ”

“ They, for their part, were armed and ready, and all day long they fought and fought, and at last the Sun's warriors had to depart in a long trail over the sea to the Sun again. Then the Earth was more triumphant than ever. But, just as they were lying down to rest, slowly, slowly, the Moon came up and sent a great trail of its warriors over the sea, and the Stars poured down showers of little, little warriors, and the poor Earth-spirits had to begin and fight all through the night. ”

“ I've a good mind to lie down and go to sleep on the heather; only there might be some sort of wild animals about, and it wouldn't be safe."
Then the sun sank lower and lower, and the Queen began to feel a little lonely and very nervous. There was not a sound to be heard, save the roar of a brook that ran, gleaming white, among the boulders in the gloom of the valley at her feet.
"If I fly right up in the air again I shall be safe, at any rate," the Queen said. "I shan't go tumbling over precipices or getting eaten up by wolves." ”

“ The Queen saw that he was angry, and she held her peace for a while.
"I'm not nobody, all the same," she thought to herself, "I'm the Queen of the 'most prosperous and contented nation in the world,' though I don't quite understand what it means. But it will never do to offend the bat, it is so dreadfully dull when he won't talk;" so she said, "Would it be possible for me to fly?" for a great longing had come into her heart to be able to fly away out of the garden with the roses and the marble bench.
"Well, it certainly won't be if you suppose you can't," the bat said. ”

“ The bat said, "Why don't you?"
"Because I haven't got wings, I suppose," the Queen said.
"You shouldn't suppose," the bat said sharply. "Half the evils in the world come from people supposing."
"What are the 'evils in the world'?" the Queen said.
And the bat answered, "What! don't you even know that, you ignorant little thing? The evils in the world are ever so many—strong winds so that one can't fly straight, and cold weather so that the flies die, and rheumatic pains in one's wing-joints, and cats and swallows."
"I like cats," the Queen said; "and swallows are very pretty." ”

“ And he who had been the old grey gander answered, "The witch turned us into it when we came to ask for the Elixir of Love."
"Dear me!" the Queen said. "Does love make such geese of people?"
And the shepherd in prince's clothing said, "I'm afraid it does."
"You see, it was as I said," the old grey gander said; "those young men are all fools. You had much better marry me." ”

“ So she came to the hill where the valley made a sharp turn, and on the top of which she could see the ploughman. Up it she climbed through the heather, and speedily reached him.
"I've come to lead the horses for you," she said.
And he looked towards her and smiled.
"That's right," he said. "Then you're not going away just yet. It's better here than being shut up in a palace garden, with no one but a bat to talk to."
"It is," the Queen said simply.
So, through the autumn day, she led the horses up and down the furrows, whilst be drove the share deep into the ground. ”

“ I never pay for what I eat."
"She is the Queen," the beggar said; "and if you don't take care she'll have your head off."
The honey-cake maker jumped back so suddenly that he sat down in a tub of honey and stuck there doubled up with his knees to his chin.
"O Lord! O Lord!" he said. "What shall I do? what shall I do?—all my cakes gone, and never to be paid!"
"You won't want to be paid if your head's cut off," the beggar said.
But the Queen answered, "Nonsense. No one's going to cut your head off; and I dare say, if you ask them at the palace, they'll pay you, whatever it means. ”

“ By-the-by, who's going to be my next governess?"
"Your Majesty is now of an age to need no governess. I think a tutor would be more suitable—with your Majesty's consent."
"Well, who's to be my tutor, then?" the Queen said.
"I had purposed according that inestimable honour to myself," the Regent answered.
"Oh, I say! You'll never do!" the Queen remarked. "You could never darn a pair of stockings, or comb my hair. You'd be so awfully clumsy."
"Your Majesty has no need to have your royal stockings darned; you can always have a new pair." ”

“ The bat said, "Um! there's something in that."
"And look," the Queen continued, "I've brought you your meat and flannel, and some stuff that's good for rheumatism."
The bat's eyes twinkled with delight. "Well, I'll tell you," he said. "Only you must promise, first, that you won't tell any one the secret; and secondly, that you won't eat any flies." ”

“ Once upon a time, upon the earth there were no people at all, no men and women, but only little goblin things that covered the whole earth and made it a beautiful green colour. But the sun was a bright flame colour, and the moon very, very white. So the Sun and the Earth took to quarrelling as to which was the more beautiful of the two. ”

“ The Queen said, "Blind! Why, I should never have known it. You are as skilful as any one else."
The ploughman answered, "Oh yes, I can manage pretty well because I'm used to it, and there are many ways of managing things; but it is an affliction."
The horses went carefully down the hill, and in a little space they had reached the valley whence the Queen had started. It was now quite dark there, and the harvest moon had not yet arisen, but at no great distance from them the Queen could see a light winking. ”

“ The fern-seller arose with alacrity.
"There's a shop near here where they sell some delicious honey-cakes."
"I can't make it out," the Queen said to herself. "If he's hungry he can't be contented; and yet the Regent said every one was contented in the land, because of his being Regent. He must have been mistaken, or else this man must be one of the traitors."
And aloud she said, "Is there a bill of attainder out against you?"
The beggar shook his head. "I guess not," he said. "Tradesmen won't let the likes of me run up bills." ”

“ Thereupon the King's rage became quite frightful to see, especially for the courtiers who were nearest him, for he rushed among them and began to kick them so that they flew into the air; indeed, it seemed as if the air was full of them. But, in the middle of it, he suddenly made a dash at the Queen, and, before she could avoid him, had seized her in his fearful grasp. ”

“ It is so difficult to get ink out of one's nails.
"I don't care if I never sign another Proclamation," she said; "and I hope I never shall. Now, look here," she continued to the Regent, who at that moment entered. "If you were a governess I should be able to make you get this ink out; but how can I ask a man to do that?"
"I will make the attempt, if your Majesty pleases," the Regent said.
"Well, but you haven't got any nail-scissors," the Queen replied.
"I might use my sword," the Regent suggested. ”

“ Then they would proclaim themselves Regents of the kingdom and would issue bills of attainder against all their rivals, saying they were traitors against the Queen's Government.
In fact, a revolution in those days was like what is called a change of Ministry now, save for the fact that they were rather fond of indulging themselves by decapitating their rivals when they had the chance, which of course one would never think of doing nowadays.
The Queen and the bat had been talking a good deal that afternoon—about the weather and about the revolution and the colour of cats and the like. ”

“ At other times he would have bowed suavely.
"Will your ladyship be pleased to enter?" he said. "I want to shut the door; it is so dangerous to have it open with all these revolutions about."
The Queen complied with his request, and found herself in a little dark shop, only lighted dimly through the round air-holes in the shutters.
"Give this man some honey-cakes," she said; and the honey-cake maker seemed only too delighted. ”

“ I'm not going to marry any of you, though you were very nice, dear geese, and I was very fond of you."
"No; the lady is going to marry me!" a voice said, and the man in shepherd's clothes stept forth.
"No, marry me!" the man in armour said.
"I'm a prince. I will make you a princess," the man in shepherd's clothes said.
"I'm a shepherd," the man dressed like a prince said. "A shepherd is a far better match for a goose-girl than a prince is."
"But why were either of you so deceitful?" the Queen said. "Because it's so ridiculous. You don't look like a shepherd, prince—your skin is much too fair ”

“ But the Queen shivered. "Ugh! fancy having a great ugly thing like that for it!" she said. "Oh, well, you've brought the things! Here are your papers. They're all signed; and, if you want anything else, you'll have to come into the garden."
And she took up the meat and the flannel and the opodeldoc and went into the garden, leaving the Regent with the idea that he had made rather a bad business by becoming the Queen's attendant. But he was a very determined man, and merely set his teeth the firmer.
Under the overhanging rose tree the Queen sat awaiting the bat's awakening. ”

“ So there was great rejoicing in the cottage that night, and the little old woman's eyes grew bright with joy-tears.
But next day Eldrida and her love were married, and, from that time forth, they worked together, and went hand in hand up the tranquil valley or in among the storms on the hillcrests, and so lived happily ever after. ”

“ But I don't need a nest now that I can fly."
"How did you come to be able to fly?" the Queen asked.
"Well, after what the cockchafer told me, I just ran out into the garden, and when I found the flower, as I hadn't any pocket to put it in so as to have it always by me, I just ate it up, and from that time forward I have been able to fly ever so well."
The Queen said, "Oh, how nice! And is the flower actually here in the garden? Tell me which it is, please do."
"Well, I'll tell you if you'll bring me a nice piece of raw meat, and a little red flannel for my rheumatism." ”