86 PRINCE FILDERKIN

aged none the sooner by your giving way to
your feelings.’

‘Tell me, then, oh tell me,’ anxiously
exclaimed the Prince, ‘what must I do—
what must I say? I willsay or do anything
that will help me to get rid of my horrible
burden !’

To these words Feeble John made no
immediate reply, but after a short pause,
slowly raised his right hand to his face, and
placing the thumb firmly upon the tip of his
nose, spread his fingers out towards the .
Prince, and then did the same with the
fingers of the left hand, placing the thumb
of the latter against the little finger of the
right. In this position he remained for
several seconds, fixing his eyes at the same
time upon the bewildered Prince, who stared
back at him in amazement, until it suddenly
struck him to do the same thing, and there
the two remained, each with his hands to
his nose, looking steadily at the other.

Then, all of a sudden, the magician
dropped his hands by his side: the Prince
followed his example.

‘That’s right!’ exclaimed the former ;
‘you little know how much depended upon