168 PRINCE FILDERKIN

neither of them doubted the other for an
instant.

On the other hand, the King of the hump-
backed mountebanks and his people rejoiced
with unfeigned delight. They had secured
the continued possession of the treasure
which was so precious to them, and they
were about to get rid of the only individual
in their nation whose unfortunate state of
humplessness had been the source of so
much sorrow to her people. There was
no time to consult Prince Filderkin’s parents,
since both the young people had vowed to
marry each other on the morrow, and, the
telegraph being out of order, no message
could have reached the old King and Queen
in time to have learned their opinion. The
Prince, however, felt confident that they
would highly approve his choice, and that
they would be intensely gratified by the
improvement in his personal appearance.

Therefore, as no obstacle stood in the way of
the literal fulfilment of the old prophecy, the
wedding actually took place upon the very
next day after the events which I have related.
The whole nation of the hump-backed
mountebanks were assembled together for