124 PRINCE FILDERKIN

hump-backed pride and full confidence that
they will understand and appreciate my
feelings.’

As the Prince uttered these words, the
person to whom they were addressed showed
signs of the most lively satisfaction. His
manner of doing so proved at once his true
mountebank descent, for he turned head
over heels several times in quick succession,
snapped his fingers after an extraordinary
fashion, balanced himself first on one of his
hands and then the other, and went through
a variety of fantastic contortions which at
any other time would have made Prince
Filderkin roar with laughter, especially at
the entire gravity of face with which the
little man performed his antics, as if they
were (as perhaps indeed was the case) the
most common and natural things in the
world.

The issues at stake, however, were too
serious for laughter, and the Prince remained
perfectly grave when he had finished his
speech.

About the same time the little man re-
sumed his first attitude, and stood before
him as if he still intended to dispute the