, CONTINUATION OF THE HISTORY OF ‘
ft 5)
Thy THE CRACKATOOK NUT AND PRINCESS PIRLIPATA.

PART II.

HOW, IN SPITE OF THE PRECAUTIONS TAKEN BY THE QUEEN, DAME MOUSEY
ACCOMPLISHES HER THREAT IN REGARD TO PRINCESS PIRLIPATA.

AND now, my dear children, you know as well as I do,
wherefore the queen had Princess Pirlipata watched with
such wonderful care. She feared the vengeanze of Dame
Mousey; for, according to what Dame Mousey had said,
there could be nothing less in store for the heiress of this
little kingdom without a name, than the loss of her life, or
at all events her beauty ; which last affliction is considered
by some people worse for one of her sex. What redoubled
the fears of the queen was, that the machines invented by
Master Drosselmayer were totally useless against the experi-
ence of Dame Mousey. The astronomer of the court, who
was also grand prophet and grand astrologer, was fearful
lest his office should be suppressed unless he gave his opinion
at this important juncture: he accordingly declared that he
read in the stars the great fact that the illustrious family of
the cat Murr was alone capable of defending the cradle
against the approach of Dame Mousey. It was for this rea-
son that each of the six nurses was forced to hold a cat
A