Meantime, the Six Snubnosed Princesses had seen from their rooms in a tower of the palace the army of the Pinkies marching upon them, and the sight had served to excite them greatly.  They had been quarreling bitterly among themselves all morning, and strangely enough this quarrel was all about which of them should marry Ghip-Ghisizzle.  They knew that some day the Majordomo would become Boolooroo, and each one of the six had determined to marry him so as to be Queen and thus force her sisters to obey her commands.  They paid no attention to the fact that Ghip-Ghisizzle did not want to marry any of them, for they had determined that when it was agreed who should have him, they would ask their father to force the man to marry.

While they quarreled in one room of the palace, Ghip-Ghisizzle was in danger of being patched in another room; but the Six Snubnosed Princesses did not know that.  The arrival of the Pinkies gave them something new to talk about, so they hurried downstairs and along the corridors so as to gain the courtyard and take part in the exciting scenes.  But as they passed the closed doors of the Room of the Great Knife, they heard a low moan and stopped to listen.  The moan was repeated, and being curious, they unlocked the door—­the key having been left on the outside—­and entered the room.

At once, the Pinkies were forgotten, for there upon the floor, tightly bound, lay Ghip-Ghisizzle, and beside him poor Tiggle, who had uttered the moans.

The six Princesses sat down in a circle facing the captives, and Cerulia said, “Ghip, my dear, we will release you on one condition:  That you choose a wife from among us and promise to marry the one selected as soon as the Pinkies are driven back into the Fog Bank.”

Ghip-Ghisizzle managed to shake his head.  Then he said, “Really, ladies, you must excuse me.  I’d rather be patched than mismatched, as I would be with a lovely, snub-nosed wife.  You are too beautiful for me; go seek your husbands elsewhere.”

“Monster!” cried Indigo.  “If you choose me, I’ll scratch your eyes out!”

“If you choose me,” said Cobalt in a rage, “I’ll tear out your hair by the roots!”

“If I am to be your wife,” screamed Azure, “I’ll mark your obstinate face with my fingernails!”

“And I,” said Turquoise passionately, “will pound your head with a broomstick!”

“I’ll shake him till his teeth rattle!” shrieked Sapphire.

“The best way to manage a husband,” observed Cerulia angrily, “is to pull his nose.”

“Ladies,” said Ghip-Ghisizzle when he had a chance to speak, “do not anticipate these pleasures, I beg of you, for I shall choose none among you for a wife.”

“We’ll see about that,” said Indigo.

“I think you will soon change your mind,” added Azure.

“I’m going to be patched to Tingle, here, as soon as the Boolooroo returns,” said Ghip-Ghisizzle, “and it’s against the law for a patched man to marry anyone.  It’s regarded as half-bigamy.”