'pooh! nonsense! the woman's mad!' exclaims the king.and all the courtiers exhibited by their countenances and expressions, marks of surprise, or ridicule, or incredulity, or wonder.
'i should like to know who else is going to be married, if i am not?' shrieks out gruffanuff.'i should like to know if king giglio is a gentleman, and if there is such a thing as justice in paflagonia? lord chancellor! my lord archbishop! will your lordships sit by and see a poor, fond, confiding, tender creature put upon? has not prince giglio promised to marry his barbara? is not this giglio's signature? does not this paper declare that he is mine, and only mine?' and she handed to his grace the archbishop the document which the prince signed that evening when she wore the magic ring, and giglio drank so much champagne.and the old archbishop, taking out his eyeglasses, read-- "'this is to give notice, that i, giglio, only son of savio, king of paflagonia, hereby promise to marry the charming barbara griselda, countess gruffanuff, and widow of the late jenkins gruffanuff, esq."'h'm,' says the archbishop, 'the document is certainly a--a document.'
'phoo!' says the lord chancellor, 'the signature is not in his majesty's handwriting.' indeed, since his studies at bosforo, giglio had made an immense improvement in caligraphy.
'is it your handwriting, giglio?' cries the fairy blackstick, with an awful severity of countenance.
'y--y--y--es,' poor giglio gasps out, 'i had quite forgotten the confounded paper: she can't mean to hold me by it.you old wretch, what will you take to let me off? help the queen, some one--her majesty has fainted.'