PRINCE RICARDO. 133

 

“Your Majesty has only to command,” said
Herr Schnipp. ‘‘There have been monarchs, in
neighbouring kingdoms, who would have cut off.
all our heads after we had done a bit of secret
business; but the merest word of your Majesty
is law to your loving subjects.”

The other merchants murmured assent, for
King Prigio was really liked by his people. He
was always good-tempered and polite. He never
went to war with anybody. He spent most of
the royal income on public objects, and of course .
there were scarcely any taxes to speak of.
Moreover, he had abolished what is called
compulsory education, or making everybody go
to school whether he likes it or not; a most
mischievous and tyrannical measure! ‘A’
fellow who can’t teach himself to read,” said
the king, ‘‘is not worth teaching.”

For all these reasons, and because they were
so fond of the queen, his subjects were ready
to do anything in reason for King Prigio.

. Only one tradesman, bowing very deep and
blushing very much, said:

“Your Majesty, will you hear me for one
moment ?”

“For an hour, with pleasure, Herr Schmidt,”
said the monarch.

“Tt is an untradesman-like and an unusual
thing to decline an order; and if your Majesty
asked for my heart’s blood, I am ready to shed
it, not to speak of anything in the line of my