_ 130 PRINCE RICARDO.

 

‘by her magic arts, but who had forgotten, in
the excitement of the moment, that an eclipse
of the moon, especially if entirely unexpected,
is likely to attract very general attention.
Jaqueline could not bear to tell a fib, especially
to a king who had been so kind to her; besides,
fibbing would not alter the facts.

‘Yes, I did see it,” she admitted, blushing.
‘* Had it not been predicted ?”

“Not a word about it whispered anywhere,”
‘said his Majesty. ‘I looked up the almanack
at once. It is the most extraordinary thing I
ever saw, and I’ve’seen a good many.”

‘“‘The astronomers must be duffers,” said
Prince Ricardo. ‘‘I never thought there was
much in ‘physical science of any sort; most
dreary stuff. Why, they say the earth goes
round the sun, wilonces any fool can see it is
just the other way on.’

King Prigio was strike ee by these
sentiments in the mouth of his son and heir,
the hope of Pantouflia. But what was the king
to say inreply? The astronomers of Pantou-
flia, who conceived that they knew a great deal,
had certainly been taken by surprise this time.
Indeed, they have not yet satisfactorily ex-
plained this eclipse of the moon, though they
have written volumes about it.

‘“Why, it may be the sun next!” exclaimed his
Majesty. ‘Anything may happen. The very
laws of gravitation themselves may go askew!”