Suok!
Suok!" he wept.
Naturally, the Three Fat Men had to give in.
They issued an order there and then.
The pardon was announced.
Doctor Caspar left for home in very good spirits.
"I'll sleep the whole day and night," he thought on the way.
As he rode into town he heard people saying the scaffolds were burning on Court Square and the rich people were very angry, because the execution of the poor had been called off.
Meanwhile Suok was left in the Palace of the Three Fat Men.
Tutti went into the garden with her.
The young Heir walked over flower beds, he tripped on the barbed-wire fence and nearly tumbled into the pool.
He was so happy he didn't even see where he was going.
"Can't he see I'm a live girl?" Suok wondered. "No one would ever fool me like that."
Soon breakfast was served.
Suok saw the pastries. She remembered that the autumn before she had had a piece of pastry for the first time in her life.
And even then old August had said it was a bun, not pastry.
The pastries served to Tutti the Heir were magnificent.
Ten bees buzzed around them, thinking they were flowers.
"What should I do?" Suok thought unhappily. "Dolls are not supposed to eat.
But then, there are all kinds of dolls....
Oh, dear, how I wish I had a piece of pastry."
The temptation was too great.
"I want a little piece," she said very softly.
A blush came to her cheeks.
"That's grand!" Tutti smiled. "You never wanted to eat before.
It was always so boring to eat by myself.
Oh, how nice!
Now you have an appetite."
Suok took a tiny bite.
And another. And another.
And suddenly she noticed that the servant who was guarding the Heir from afar was looking straight at her. Not only was he looking at her, he was staring at her with horror.
His mouth had fallen open.
And he was right.
He had never seen a doll eating before.
Suok was frightened. She dropped the fourth piece of pastry, the fluffiest one, with a candied grape on top.
But it all ended well.
The servant rubbed his eyes and closed his mouth.
"I'm seeing things," he said to himself.
"It must be the heat."
Tutti chattered on and on.
Finally, he got tired and fell silent.
It was very quiet at that hot hour of the day.
Yesterday's wind had blown itself far away.
Now everything was still.
Even the birds were hiding somewhere.
It was then that Suok, who was sitting beside Tutti on the grass, heard a strange sound. It was repeated over and over again, like the ticking of a clock all wrapped up in cotton wool.
The only difference was that a clock goes tick-took and this went thump-thump.
"What's that?" she said.
"What's what?" Tutti asked, raising his eyebrows in surprise, just like a grown-up person does.
"That thumping noise.