"Where's my mitre?" asked the Archbishop, looking all about on the ground. "Oh, it's up there, is it? Did _you_ hang it up? Thank you, ever so much. I'm glad to be rid of it: it's precious heavy and uncomfortable."
"Mitres and crowns _are_ heavy," assented Coco Bolo. "That's the worst of being somebody of importance. But it's no reason why we shouldn't have some refreshment, all the same. So, sit down here at this table, and we'll all have some cookies and aëro-plane water."
"Thank you," said Margaret. "But, if you don't mind, we should like some milk instead. We're a little afraid of the aëro-plane water."
"Very well," said the King, graciously. "And here's a saucerful for Periwinkle. If that foolish cat had only behaved himself he might have had some, too."
"Mi-ow!" said Thomas A'Becket in a plaintive tone, his voice sounding so muffled and indistinct that neither the King nor the Archbishop could tell which direction it came from. They both jumped up and looked under their chairs, but, of course, there was no cat there, so they sat down again.
They had hardly settled themselves in their chairs once more, when the policeman and the Court Crier and the Admiral and the courtiers all came back to say that Thomas A'Becket could not be found.
"What's to be done, then?" asked the King. "What's the law in the case, Policeman?"
"How should I know?" asked the policeman.
"Why, that's your business. You're the guardian of the law, aren't you?"
"I suppose I am," replied the policeman. "But if there are only two laws to guard, and if neither of them fits the case, what are you going to do?"
"Why! Make one that will fit, of course," retorted His Majesty. "Anyone but a blue-gum policeman would know that!"
"Oh, very well, then," said the blue-gum policeman; and straightening himself up, he announced in a loud voice: "Law number three: Any Archbishop whose cat swears in public shall be put in the corner and painted blue."
"That's rubbish," said Margaret. "It wasn't the Archbishop's fault."
"No," added Frances. "And I don't think it's fair to punish a cat or an archbishop either for breaking laws they never heard of--especially a law that was not made till afterwards."
"Sorry," replied the King, with a shake of his head, "but it can't be helped. I'd be glad to let him off, but the law's the law, you know. It makes me weep, Archbishop"--here the King paused and winked at the Court Crier, who hastily snatched a pocket handkerchief out of his caddy-box and shed one tear--"It makes me weep, as you see, Archbishop, but I'm afraid you'll have to be painted blue."