"
"Pardon me for contradicting Your Majesty,"
returned Quox in a quiet voice, "but I don't
believe you'll perform any more magic."
"Eh? Why not?" asked the King in surprise.
"There's a reason," said Quox. "Do you see this
ribbon around my neck?"
"Yes; and I'm astonished that a dignified dragon
should wear such a silly thing."
"Do you see it plainly?" persisted the dragon,
with a little chuckle of amusement.
"I do," declared Ruggedo.
"Then you no longer possess any magical powers,
and are as helpless as a clam," asserted Quox. "My
great master, Tititi-Hoochoo, the Jinjin,
enchanted this ribbon in such a way that whenever
Your Majesty looked upon it all knowledge of magic
would desert you instantly, nor will any magical
formula you can remember ever perform your
bidding."
"Pooh! I don't believe a word of it!" cried
Ruggedo, half frightened, nevertheless. Then he
turned toward Files and tried to transform him
into a fiddle bow. But he could not remember the
right words or the right pass of the hands and
after several trials he finally gave up the
attempt.
By this time the Nome King was so alarmed that
he was secretly shaking in his shoes.
"I told you not to anger Tititi-Hoochoo,"
grumbled Kaliko, "and now you see the result of
your disobedience."
Ruggedo promptly threw his sceptre at his Royal
Chamberlain, who dodged it with his usual
cleverness, and then he said with an attempt to
swagger:
"Never mind; I don't need magic to enable me to
destroy these invaders; fire and the sword will do
the business and I am still King of the Nomes and
lord and master of my Underground Kingdom!"
"Again I beg to differ with Your Majesty," said
Quox.
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