Читать книгу Forty Good-Night Tales - Rose Amy Fyleman - Страница 4
Оглавление(i) the jujube
There was once upon a time a king who had among his servants a confectioner. The confectioner's wife was also employed in the palace. She cleaned the gold and silver. She was very honest and trustworthy, and she even cleaned the king's crown and sceptre.
One day as she sat in the pantry rubbing up the crown, a big red ruby suddenly came out of its setting and rolled away through the pantry door. Jump, jump, jump, it went down the stairs and out into the yard; jump, jump, jump, into a sink and down the drain before she could catch it.
She was very much upset, and told her husband at once, for she was afraid to tell the king. Her husband was busy making beautiful red jujubes. "I know what we'll do," he said. "We'll put a jujube in the hole where the ruby was. No one will ever know."
So they put in a jujube, and it looked most beautiful, and nobody noticed.
A few weeks later the king and queen were playing in the nursery with their baby. The baby was only a year old, and presently he began to cry. So the king took off his crown and put it on the floor for the baby to play with.
All of a sudden the queen gave a dreadful scream.
"What's the matter?" said the king, in astonishment.
"Look, look," said the queen, "the great ruby has gone. The child must have swallowed it."
You never heard such a commotion as there was. The first court physician was sent for at once, but unfortunately he had gone out fishing and nobody knew where to find him, and of course no ordinary doctor could possibly do anything for the king's child. The baby seemed to be the only one who was not at all upset. He just lay in his bed and smiled—as well he might, for he had enjoyed the jujube immensely.
But when the confectioner and his wife heard what had happened, they went straight to the king and queen and told them about the jujube, for although they feared they might be punished, they felt that they must relieve the poor parents of their dreadful anxiety.
And the king and queen were so delighted to hear their child was in no danger, that they forgave them on the spot, and from that day to this there has always been a jujube instead of a ruby in the royal crown.
