And as he knelt before her it
seemed to Colombo that never before had he seen such
unforgettable beauty as shone in the eyes of Queen Isabel. Yes,
truly, this was the loveliest girl that Colombo had ever
imagined.
"Now do you rise", said she, "and you and I shall have a nice
chat alone here together, and you can tell me all about geography
of which I am oh, frightfully ignorant. In truth", said she, "I
have tried to get Ferdinand to instruct me, but I fear", said
Queen Isabel, "that Ferdinand does not understand me."
So Colombo instructed Queen Isabel in the fundamentals of
geography. And after a while he spoke.
"Now many people", said Colombo, "believe that the earth is flat,
but", said Colombo, "such is not at all the case."
And after an interval Colombo said, "There, my dear, do you not
see how ridiculous it is to suppose that the earth is anything
but round?"
"Why surely, sire", said Queen Isabel, "you make it appear very
round. And I wonder that I had not thought of that before. And I
think", said Queen Isabel, "that geography is a most fascinating
subject and oh, messire Colombo", said the Queen, "you must come
and instruct me often."
Thus it was that Colombo became Royal Geographer. And the tale
tells how after a while various whisperings came to King
Ferdinand of his queen's curious enthusiasm for study.
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