Prince Ricardo of Pantouflia

has a

grey cat, sitting on a big book on the top of the library steps. Now Semiramis was very fond of birds, and no sooner did Ricardo enter and flutter on to a table than Semiramis gathered herself together and made one fell spring at him. She just caught his tail feather. In all his adventures the prince had never been in greater dang

is dulness is as heavy as l

r and took up a volume; he

room, brushing the king's face a

thing!" sai

ed, and nestled

rowl, as cats do when they are angry

by the neck, he put her out of the room and shut th

dow with one claw, and, lying down on his back, pretended to be dead. Then he got up again, twittere

ve often read of. Who can it be? Not Jaqueline; she could cha

asked the servant to

e in, but was caught a

ed that her Royal Highness had

e very nervous, and at that moment Dick lighted on the crystal ball, and put his claw on

merica," said his Majesty; "somewhere behind Mount Rora

ird would assume his natural shape if he was under en

Dick stood

have you done with Jaqueline? Where are the Seven-league Boots? Where is the Sword of

d the prettiest, and the kindest. And the Earthquaker's got her,

pale, but calm and determined. "Here, take a gl

, and then he told

conceit! But there is no use in crying over spilt milk. The thin

all," said Dick. "Moth

ce," said the king, "

Prigio that she soon dried her tears, remarking that Heaven would not

tudy, put his head in his ha

monster? Prodding him with the sword would only stir him up and make him more vicious. And I know of no other

to the Council and the ponderous

If I could get to the place where they keep the Stupidity, I

things which is kept in the moon. That is the advantage of reading: Knowledge is Power; and you mos

urally down on the earth in small quantities, I might obtain enough for my purpose,"

harpened the ingenuity

ow had a Flying

in old times, visited the moon, and there found and brought back the co

Flying Horse at all, he is in the stables

Hastily the king thrust his feet into the Shoes of Swiftness-so hastily, indeed, that, as the poet says, he "madly crammed a left-hand foot into a right-hand s

, but with stately kindness, and listened t

ogul. "This is like old times! Every horse in my stable is at your service, b

s to have the Flying Horse saddled at once. He then presented King Prigi

held the bridle; "has not been out o

e dusky multitude, and all the ladies of the seraglio

he saddle of the Flying Horse, then kissed his hand to the ladi

the

s of the flight. Soon the earth below him was no bigger than a top, spinning on its own

of the harvest moon. She had a crown of a golden snake and white water-lilies, and her dress now shone white, now red, now golden; and in her hand was the golden pitcher that sheds the dew, and a golden wand. The other lady was as dark as night-dark eyes, dark hair; her crown was of poppies. She held the ebony Wand of Sleep. Her dre

what make you he

nd the Earthquaker, and how he needed a great

him in silence, a

the bright side of the moon, above the silver palaces and silver seas, and reached

bright lady; "and beyond, as you se

ight: and on they flew, over black rocks and black rivers, till they reached a huge mountain, like a mountain of coal, many thousand feet high, for its head was lost in

rdust on the earth whenever this mountain, which is a volcano, is in eruption. Only a little of the Stupid

the king, "no one know

best sort of Stupidity for you

to the Stupidity of the Learned-of dull, blind writers on Shakspeare, and Homer, and the Bible-then King Prigio saw that he had found the sort he wanted, and that a very little of it would go a long way. He never could have got it on the saddle of the Flying Horse if the dark lady had not touched it with her ebony wand, and made it light to carry till it was wanted for his purpose. When he needed it for use,

dy, pointing to the bright moon of e

words of blessing which he did not understand; but her face w

nd and wide seas, till they saw the crest of the hollow hill, where Jaqueline was with the Earthquaker. Beyond it they marked the glittering spires and towers of Manoa, the Ci

o to Jaqueline first

ow us, is the City of the Sun, which Sir Walter Raleigh and the Spaniards could never find, so that men have