4 THE ADVENTURES OF PRINCE HEMPSEED.

consequence of its great splendour, the castle was called
the Pearl of Lake Major.

You know that Lake Major is at the north-western
entrance of Italy, in the domains of the King of Sardinia,
and situate in the midst of a fertile and smiling plain. It
appears on the opposite side of the Alps, immediately after
you leave the frontiers of Savoy.

The large and numerous rooms in that peerless castle
suited its outward beauty. Nothing could be compared to
the richness of the Persian carpets, the elegance of the
furniture, all made of Indian wood, or the splendour and
endless variety of the gilding. The pictures which adorned
the walls had been painted by the best Italian artists. In
a word, the castle was so charming in all respects, that

   

 

EM - :
King Victor Emanuel of Savoy said one day to his
courtiers, “If I were not King of Sardinia, I should like