478 
THE STRAND MAGAZINE. 
his broad back, and turned homeward. 
There it struck him as peculiar that only two 
of the geese cackled loudly, as healthy geese 
always do, but that the third goose did 
nothing but sigh, almost like a human being. 
So he thought, “ That goose must be ill.” 
But what was his astonishment when the 
goose groaned aloud and lamented her fate. 
“ Who would have thought that I, Mimi, 
the only daughter of the great magician, 
Wetterbock, should find my death as a goose 
in some obscure kitchen ! ” 
But Nosey comforted her. “ Don’t you 
be afraid, Miss Goose,” he cried ; “ I know 
better than to kill a rare bird like you. I 
will tell you what : I will take you with me 
now to my own apartments, where I will 
build you a comfortable little hutch, take 
you for a walk in the palace garden every 
day ; then as soon as there is an opportunity 
I will let you escape.” 
Mimi agreed to this, and soon she was 
installed in a nice little hutch of her own. 
All his free time Nosey spent with her, and 
they told one another their adventures. As 
Mimi had been enchanted, while away from 
home, by a wicked witch who was on bad 
terms with her father, she could sympathize 
with Jacob’s troubles. 
At this time it happened that the reigning 
Prince of a neighbouring country came to 
visit the Duke. This Prince was just as fond 
of good eating as was the Duke, and there 
was considerable rivalry between the two 
Courts as to which had the best cooks. A few 
days before the guest was expected the Duke 
sent for Nosey. “ Now the time has come to 
show your whole art,” he said. “ I want to 
astonish my rival with the richness and variety 
of my viands. During the whole fortnight 
of his stay you must never serve the same dish 
twice.” 
Nosey promised to do his best, and when 
the guest came he prepared the first meal 
entirely with his own hands. The foreign 
Prince had never tasted anything so delicious, 
but he was far too jealous to admit it. Unlike 
the Duke, the Prince was a spare, yellow 
dyspeptic, who could consume quantities of 
food without putting on any flesh. Pie grew 
greener with jealousy the longer he stayed, 
and at last he could bear it no longer. He 
pretended to be greatly delighted with 
everything, and reqiiested the Duke to call the 
