"Good," cried the monarch; "I have discovered the truth at last!"

And so he had, as you will find by reading the next surprise.



_The Fourteenth Surprise_

THE PUNISHMENT OF THE PURPLE DRAGON


Scarcely had the King spoken when some of his soldiers came running
with news that they had seen the Purple Dragon eating plum-pudding in
the royal garden.

"What did you do about it?" asked the monarch.

"We did nothing," they answered; "for, had we interfered with its
repast, the Dragon would probably have eaten us for dessert."

"That is true," remarked the King. "Yet something must be done to
protect us from this monster. For many years it has annoyed us by
eating our choicest crops, and nothing we can do seems of any avail to
save us from its ravages."

"If we were able to destroy the Dragon," said Prince Thinkabit, "we
should be doing our country the greatest possible service."

"We have often tried to destroy it," replied the King, "but the beast