This was interesting enough to tempt the servant called Jeremy all the way into the room. He stood and listened.

“Are all the walls so thin?” continued the magician. “Do you suppose there can be something wrong with them?”

Jeremy knocked on the wall which divided the house from its neighbour. It responded with as dull and quiet a sound as any stout, well-built wall in the kingdom. Making nothing of this, he said, “I do not hear any thing, sir. What were they saying?”

“I believe I heard one of them call the other stupid and ugly.”

“Are you sure, sir? It is two old ladies that live upon that side.”

“Ha! That proves nothing. Age is no guarantee of any thing these days.”

With this remark the magician appeared suddenly to grow tired of this conversation. He turned back to his book and started reading.

Jeremy waited a moment and then, since his master appeared to have forgotten all about him, he went away again.

“I have not thanked you yet, sir,” said Stephen to the gentleman, “for these wonderful gifts.”

“Ah, Stephen! I am glad I have pleased you. The diadem, I confess, is your own hat transformed by magic. I would have greatly preferred to give you a real crown, but I was entirely unable to lay my hand upon one at such short notice. You are disappointed, I dare say. Although now I come to think of it, the King of England has several crowns, and rarely makes use of any of them.”

He raised his hands in the air and pointed upwards with two immensely long white fingers.

“Oh!” cried Stephen, suddenly realizing what the gentleman was about. “If you think of casting spells to bring the King of England here with one of his crowns – which I imagine you do, since you are all kindness – then I beg that you will spare yourself the trouble! I have no need of one at the moment, as you know, and the King of England is such an old gentleman – would it not perhaps be kinder to let him stay at home?”

“Oh, very well!” said the gentleman, lowering his hands.

For lack of any other occupation, he reassumed his abuse of the new magician. Nothing about the man pleased him. He ridiculed the book he was reading, found fault with the make of his boots, and was entirely unable to approve of his height (despite the fact that he was exactly the same height as the gentleman with the thistle-down hair – as was proved when they both happened to stand up at the same time.)