Excuse my seeming haste."
"Why, I s'pose you couldn't help the haste,"
said Betsy.
"No. I climbed an apple tree, outside; branch
gave way and--here I am."
As he spoke the Shaggy Man finished his apple,
gave the core to Hank--who ate it greedily --and
then stood up to bow politely to Betsy and the
Roses.
The Royal Gardener had been frightened nearly
into fits by the crash of glass and the fall of
the shaggy stranger into the bower of Roses, but
now he peeped out from behind a bush and cried in
his squeaky voice:
"You're breaking the Law! You're breaking the
Law!"
Shaggy stared at him solemnly.
"Is the glass the Law in this country?" he
asked.
"Breaking the glass is breaking the Law,"
squeaked the Gardener, angrily. "Also, to intrude
in any part of the Rose Kingdom is breaking the
Law."
"How do you know?" asked Shaggy.
"Why, it's printed in a book," said the
Gardener, coming forward and taking a small book
from his pocket. "Page thirteen. Here it is: 'If
any stranger enters the Rose Kingdom he shall at
once be condemned by the Ruler and put to death.'
So you see, strangers," he continued triumphantly,
"it's death for you all and your time has come!"
But just here Hank interposed. He had been
stealthily backing toward the Royal Gardener, whom
he disliked, and now the mule's heels shot out and
struck the little man in the middle. He doubled up
like the letter "U" and flew out of the door so
swiftly--never touching the ground --that he was
gone before Betsy had time to wink.
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