The Missing Prince

ig

ry tall, aristocratic-looking gentleman opened

o bad; you mustn't think of goi

rtance demand my immediate attendance at the House of Words, and I must go whether I am well or

es," replied the M.D. "I think the

quired the Lord High F

referring to his watch. "They ha

who has lived here for more than an hour is entitled to a vote. Bring them

t I am usually called

Lord High Fiddle-de-dee

onour," replied he, s

said the Lord High Fiddle-de-dee imp

Honour," repeated

ment, and then turned to M.D. and said, "Is this m

the grain," replied

him along; even lunatics can vote here, you know," and linking his arm in tha

pparently greatly impressed by the Lord High Fiddle-de-dee's aristocratic bearing. "And

ear at the House of Words? Oh! I suppose this is it," he continued, as they turned a corne

ed them to pass through to the entrance of the building, where an attendant opened the door and showed them along

uals were walking about, or chattin

," cried some one directly they were inside

ddle-de-dee shoo

e, gentlemen," said a very important-looking gentleman in a red gown and wig, seated at

voice from a desk at the further end of the room, where a worried-looking little old man, in a very rusty black gow

xaggerator,"

High Fid

Lord of t

ertiser

ster of E

blic Pe

body Extr

eman of th

room of the

n Poker in

ificance th

ns to sit-wh

to tell exactly who they were; and as all the seats at the table were now occupied, the M.D.,

shuffled forward with some paper, a pot of ink and some pens. These he

ig

hese for?"

the Clerk. "I suppose you have come

haven't!" said

me for then?" asked the ol

back to his seat, looking more worried than ever, while the gentleman seated at the head of the t

the grave situation caused by the extraordinary absen

of the Order of--" began the King's Exaggerator, when he

that, when there is no

cial duties," remarked

there is no King and the Prince has disa

ggerator wishes to do a little exaggerating on his own account, I am sure no one will object, but he must do it outside and not here; and no

wore his hair very long. He had most prominent eyes, which he rolled about in a grotesque way as he spoke. When thus called upon

USE OF

Zum, what

has no

as vanished

-an

!" shouted s

d from o

-an

ourt Poet, tur

ed?" inquired the Lo

ig

for successor," admitted the Cour

ave failed in your rhyming," exclaimed the Lord H

," declared the

we had better reduce his salary," s

houted several

d the Court Poet. "My stip

e than you are worth!" declared the Fi

s!" agreed the res

o gentlemen sitting near him frowned at him severely, the

the meeting, "that instead of reducing his salary we should reduce his title, and that, instead of his being known

te, was carried unanimously; and His Absolute Nothingness the Public Rhymester was t

, I must try and explain to you in prose. The facts, as you are aware, are as follows: Our late Sovereign, King Robert the Twentieth--King of Zum and Emperor of--" began the King's Exaggerator, evidently intending

dicator nodded app

the throne, what are we to do for a King? As you are aware, this land has always been governed by a hereditary absolute Monarchy, and His late never-to-be-sufficiently-lamented

the government of the land, each trying to drown the other's voice. The noise was deafening, and the poor old Clerk was so alarmed at the uproar, tha

the Lord High Adjudicator stood up in his chair and moti

d High Adjudicator when order was somewhat restored. "We s

inary at once got up

King. Very good, we will govern the land; we will form ourselves into a Council for the management of everybody's business in the kingdom, with the power to take over all property, public and private, have cont

o all this?" inquired the Lor

ously, "will do just whatever we wish it to. It may gru

ed the Public Persecutor, who seem

. "Of course, we should have to give up our present Official Titles and simply use our ordinary names with the lett

ble to manage everybody's

hatever should be done without our sanction; that would simplify matters to start with. Then we should turn our attention to public improvements; for instance, we should begi

them?" objected the Fir

id the Busybody Extraordina

used?" persisted the Fi

arks. Then," he continued, "we should pull down all those buildings opposite and make a wide, handsome road, with trees on either side, with a large park at the end of i

o use the park if they paid for all these i

taught not to question anything that we do. It will never do for us to be hampered by mere Public opinion, you

urely!" exclaimed the First

must be aware that at the present time not more than one-third of the servant-girls of Zum can play the piano. We can't allow this sort of thing to go on, you know. Then there is too much liberty allowed the Public in the matter of pleasures and entertainments; an occasional tea-party or a spelling-bee ought to satisfy any reasonable Public, and we could insist that in the case of tea-parties a plan of the ho

be said in favour of his scheme," said

ig

l," agreed the Public Per

gest, and that is, that instead of this proposed Public Council a King should be elected from our number, and although I don't wish to bo

om of the Boot Brushes. "I should think if any

udicator interfered, and he had just arisen in his seat for that pu

and a bit of a child wanting to see yer h

Lord High Adjudicator. "Tell

nt, "and she wouldn't take the answer, but

which the attendant handed him, and afte

gone out of the room he announced, in a voice trembling with