Mother Goose in Prose | Page 5

roughly.
"I am waiting to see the King," replied Gilligren.
"The King! The King never comes here," said the servant; "and neither
do we allow idlers about the royal kitchen. So depart at once, or I shall
be forced to call a guard to arrest you."
Gilligren arose obediently and slung his sack over his shoulder. As he
did so the birds that were within began to flutter.
"What have you in the sack?" asked the servant.
"Blackbirds," replied Gilligren.
"Blackbirds!" echoed the servant, in surprise, "well, that is very
fortunate indeed. Come with me at once!"
He seized the boy by the arm and drew him hastily along until they
entered the great kitchen of the palace.

"Here, Mister Baker!" the man called, excitedly, "I have found your
blackbirds!"
A big, fat man who was standing in the middle of the kitchen with
folded arms and a look of despair upon his round, greasy face, at once
came toward them and asked eagerly, "The blackbirds? are you sure
you can get them?"
"They are here already; the boy has a bag full of them."
"Give them to me," said the cook, who wore a square cap, that was
shaped like a box, upon his head.
"What do you want with them?" asked Gilligren.
"I want them for a pie for the King's dinner," answered Mister Baker;
"His Majesty ordered the dish, and I have hunted all over London for
the blackbirds, but could not find them. Now that you have brought
them, however, you have saved me my position as cook, and perhaps
my head as well."
"But it would be cruel to put the beautiful birds in a pie," remonstrated
Gilligren, "and I shall not give them to you for such a purpose."
"Nonsense!" replied the cook, "the King has ordered it; he is very fond
of the dish."
"Still, you cannot have them," declared the boy stoutly, "the birds are
mine, and I will not have them killed."
"But what can I do?" asked the cook, in perplexity; "the King has
ordered a blackbird pie, and your birds are the only blackbirds in
London."
Gilligren thought deeply for a moment, and conceived what he thought
to be a very good idea. If the sixpence was to make his fortune, then
this was his great opportunity.
"You can have the blackbirds on two conditions," he said.

"What are they?" asked the cook.
"One is that you will not kill the birds. The other condition is that you
secure me a position in the King's household."
"How can I put live birds in a pie?" enquired the cook.
"Very easily, if you make the pie big enough to hold them. You can
serve the pie after the King has satisfied his hunger with other dishes,
and it will amuse the company to find live birds in the pie when they
expected cooked ones."
"It is a risky experiment," exclaimed the cook, "for I do not know the
new King's temper. But the idea may please His Majesty, and since you
will not allow me to kill the birds, it is the best thing I can do. As for
your other condition, you seem to be a very bright boy, and so I will
have the butler take you as his page, and you shall stand back of the
King's chair and keep the flies away while he eats."
The butler being called, and his consent secured, the cook fell to
making the crusts for his novel pie, while Gilligren was taken to the
servants' hall and dressed in a gorgeous suit of the King's livery.
When the dinner was served, the King kept looking for the blackbird
pie, but he said nothing, and at last the pie was placed before him, its
crusts looking light and brown, and sprigs of myrtle being stuck in the
four corners to make it look more inviting.
Although the King had already eaten heartily, he smacked his lips when
he saw this tempting dish, and picking up the carving-fork he pushed it
quickly into the pie.
At once the crust fell in, and all the four and twenty blackbirds put up
their heads and began to look about them. And coming from the
blackness of the pie into the brilliantly lighted room they thought they
were in the sunshine, and began to sing merrily, while some of the
boldest hopped out upon the table or began flying around the room.

At first the good King was greatly surprised; but soon, appreciating the
jest, he lay back in his chair and laughed long and merrily. And his
courtiers and the fine ladies present heartily joined in the laughter, for
they also were greatly amused.
Then the King called for the cook, and when Mister Baker appeared,
uncertain