132 PRINCE FILDERKIN

imperious brow ; his very nose had royalty
stamped upon it, and the curl of his mous-
tache was enough to prove his title to the
crown without anything else. He wore rich
robes, and held in his hand an ivory sceptre
with a gold handle, which was said to have
once belonged to Humpty Dumpty himself,
and was held in high veneration by the
mountebanks. Behind the King’s chariot
came a number of other carriages, which it
is needless to mention, because these pro-
cessions are fully described in the court
circulars of that day, and if any one will
advertise in the language of that country, he
will be as likely to get these old papers thus
as in any other way, and will learn from
them all the particulars which I think it un-
necessary to relate to-day.

It is enough to remark that the King sat
alone on the front seat of his chariot, but
that on the opposite seat was something
which at once attracted Prince Filderkin’s
attention and interest. It was a crystal case
in purple velvet, and, as a matter of fact, it
was the very case which contained that hump
of the celebrated Humpty Dumpty upon
which all the hopes of the Prince rested.