"What will we do at all?" said the King.
"It never would do for me to have the care of him at the first," said
the Queen.
"Never a bit," said the King; "it would ruin him."
"How would it ruin him?" said the Queen.
"Never a know I know, no more nor you," said the King, "but you know
as well as I it would ruin him."
"Why can't I care for my own child?" said the Queen, "the same as a
human mother does?"
"I dunno," said the King, "only we know you can't. We've never dared
try, to see what would happen. He must have a human nurse. Maybe it's
something to do with them things Naggeneen was always talking about
our having no souls--"
"Don't be talking about Naggeneen," said the Queen, "and me not well
at all." Then she was silent for a little while and then she went on
talking about Naggeneen herself. "Are you sorry he left us?"
"Who?" said the King.
"Naggeneen," said the Queen.
"I'm not sorry," said the King. "We've more peace without him. Though
he was clever and he often told us the right thing to do and he might
tell us the right thing to do now.
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