THE HISTORY OF A NUT-CRACKER. 67

going up to her, said
in a coaxing tone, with
which he was always
accustomed to make
her do anything he
wished, ‘‘ My most par-
ticular and very dear
love, you have not for- __.
gotten —have you
how doatingly fond I §
am of black puddings?
You surely have not
forgotten that ?”

The queen understood by the first word what the king
wanted of her. In fact she knew by his cunning address,
that she must now proceed, as she had done many times
before, to the very useful occupation of making, with her
own royal hands, the greatest possible quantity of sausages,
polonies, and black puddings. She therefore smiled at that
proposal of her husband ; for, al-
though filling with dignity the high
situation of queen, she was less proud
of the compliments paid her upon
the manner in which she bore the
sceptre and the crown, than of those
bestowed on her skill in making a
black pudding, or any other dish.
She therefore contented herself by
curtseying gracefully to her husband,
saying that she was quite ready to
make him the puddings which he
required.

The grand treasurer accordingly received orders to carry
the immense enamelled cauldron and the large silver sauce-
pans to the royal kitchens, so that the queen might make
the black puddings, the polonies, and the sausages. An enor-

K

   
 

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