`YOUR Imperial Highnesses!' he began. `It's the old Beggaragain! Shall we set the dogs at him?'

`Bring him here!' said the Emperor.

The Chancellor could scarcely believe his ears. `Here,your Imperial Highness? Did I rightly understand--'

`Bring him here!' the Emperor thundered once more. TheChancellor tottered down the hall--and in another minute the crowd divided,and the poor old Beggar was seen entering the Banqueting-Hall.

He was indeed a pitiable object: the rags, that hung abouthim, were all splashed with mud: his white hair and his long beard weretossed about in wild disorder. Yet he walked upright, with a stately tread,as if used to command: and--strangest sight of all--Sylvie and Bruno camewith him, clinging to his hands, and gazing at him with looks of silentlove.

Men looked eagerly to see how the Emperor would recievethe bold intruder. Would he hurl him from the steps of the daïs? Butno. To their utter astonishment, the Emperor knelt as the beggar approached,and with bowed head murmured `Forgive us!'

`Forgive us!' the Empress, kneeling at her husband's side,meekly repeated.

The Outcast smiled. `Rise up!' he said. `I forgive you!'And men saw with wonder that a change had passed over the old beggar, evenas he spoke. What had seemed, but now, to be vile rags and splashes ofmud, were seen to be in truth kingly trappings, broidered with gold, andsparkling with gems. All knew him now, and bent low before the Elder Brother,the true Warden.

`Brother mine, and Sister mine!' the Warden began, ina clear voice that was heard all through that vast hall. `I come not todisturb you. Rule on, as Emperor, and rule wisely. For I am chosen Kingof Elfland. To-morrow I return there, taking nought from thence, save only--saveonly--' his voice trembled, and with a look of ineffable tenderness, helaid his hands in silence on the heads of the two little ones who clungaround him.

But he recovered himself in a moment, and beckoned tothe Emperor to resume his place at the table. The company seated themselvesagain--room being found for the Elfin-King between his two children--andthe Lord Chancellor rose once more, to propose the next toast.

`The next toast--the hero of the day--why, he isn't here!'he broke off in wild confusion.

Good gracious! Everybody had forgotten Prince Uggug!

`He was told of the Banquet, of course?' said the Emperor.

`Undoubtedly!' replied the Chancellor. `That would bethe duty of the Gold Stick in Waiting.'

`Let the Gold Stick come forwards!' the Emperor gravelysaid.

The Gold Stick came forwards. `I attended on His ImperialFatness,' was the statement made by the trembling official. `I told himof the Lecture and the Banquet--.'

`What followed?' said the Emperor: for the unhappy manseemed almost too frightened to go on.

`His Imperial Fatness was graciously pleased to be sulky.His Imperial Fatness was graciously pleased to box my ears. His ImperialFatness was graciously pleased to say "I don't care!" '

` "Don't-care" came to a bad end,' Sylvie whispered toBruno. `I'm not sure, but I believe he was hanged.'

The Professor overheard her. `That result,' he blandlyremarked, `was merely a case of mistaken identity.'

Both children looked puzzled.

`Permit me to explain. "Don't-care" and "Care" were twin-brothers."Care", you know, killed the Cat. And they caught "Don't-care" by mistake,and hanged him instead. And so "Care" is alive still. But he's very unhappywithout his brother. That's why they say "Begone, dull Care!" '

`Thank you!' Sylvie said, heartily. `It's very extremelyinteresting. Why, it seems to explain everything!'

`Well, not quite everything,' the Professor modestly rejoined.`There are two or three scientific difficulties--'

`What was your general impression as to His Imperial Fatness?'the Emperor asked the Gold Stick.

`My impression was that His Imperial Fatness was gettingmore--'

`More what?'

All listened breathlessly for the next word.

`More PRICKLY!'

`He must be sent for at once!' the Emperor exclaimed.And the Gold Stick went off like a shot. The Elfin-King sadly shook hishead. `No use, no use!' he murmured to himself. `Loveless, loveless!'

Pale, trembling, speechless, the Gold Stick came slowlyback again.

`Well?' said the Emperor. `Why does not the Prince appear?'

`One can easily guess,' said the Professor. `His ImperialFatness is, without doubt, a little preoccupied.'

Bruno turned a look of solemn enquiry on his old friend.`What do that word mean?'

But the Professor took no notice of the question. He waseagerly listening to the Gold Stick's reply.

`Please your Highness! His Imperial Fatness is--' Nota word more could he utter.

The Empress rose in an agony of alarm. `Let us go to him!'she cried. And there was a general rush for the door.

Bruno slipped off his chair in a moment. `May we go too?'he eagerly asked. But the King did not hear the question, as the Professorwas speaking to him. `Preoccupied, your Majesty!' he was saying. `Thatis what he is, no doubt!'

`May we go and see him?' Bruno repeated. The King noddedassent, and the children ran off. In a minute or two they returned, slowlyand gravely. `Well?' said the King. `What's the matter with the Prince?'

`He's--what you said,' Bruno replied looking at the Professor.`That hard word.' And he looked to Sylvie for assistance.

`Porcupine,' said Sylvie.

`No, no!' the Professor corrected her. ` "Pre-occupied",you mean.'

`No, it's porcupine,' persisted Sylvie. `Not that otherword at all. And please will you come? The house is all in an uproar.'(`And oo'd better bring an uproar-glass wiz oo!' added Bruno.)

We got up in great haste, and followed the children upstairs.No one took the least notice of me, but I wasn't at all surprised at this,as I had long realized that I was quite invisible to them all--even toSylvie and Bruno.

All along the gallery, that led to the Prince's apartment,an excited crowd was surging to and fro, and the Babel of voices was deafening:against the door of the room three strong men were leaning, vainly tryingto shut it--for some great animal inside was constantly bursting it halfopen, and we had a glimpse, before the men could push it back again, ofthe head of a furious wild beast, with great fiery eyes and gnashing teeth.Its voice was a sort of mixture--there was the roaring of a lion, and thebellowing of a bull, and now and then a scream like a gigantic parrot.`There is no judging by the voice!' the Professor cried in great excitement.`What is it?' he shouted to the men at the door. And a general chorus ofvoices answered him `Porcupine! Prince Uggug has turned into a Porcupine!'

`A new Specimen!' exclaimed the delighted Professor. `Praylet me go in. It should be labeled at once!'

But the strong men only pushed him back. `Label it, indeed!Do you want to be eaten up?' they cried.

`Never mind about Specimens, Professor!' said the Emperor,pushing his way through the crowd. `Tell us how to keep him safe!'

`A large cage!' the Professor promptly replied. `Bringa large cage,' he said to the people generally, `with strong bars of steel,and a portcullis made to go up and down like a mouse-trap! Does anyonehappen to have such a thing about him?'

It didn't sound a likely sort of thing for anyone to haveabout him; however, they brought him one directly: curiously enough, therehappened to be one standing in the gallery.

`Put it facing the opening of the door, and draw up theportcullis!' This was done in a moment.

`Blankets now!' cried the Professor. `This is a most interestingExperiment!'

There happened to be a pile of blankets close by: andthe Professor had hardly said the word, when they were all unfolded andheld up like curtains all around. The Professor rapidly arranged them intwo rows, so as to make a dark passage, leading straight from the doorto the mouth of the cage.

`Now fling the door open!' This did not need to be done:the three men had only to leap out of the way, and the fearful monsterflung the door open for itself, and, with a yell like the whistle of asteam-engine, rushed into the cage.

`Down with the portcullis!' No sooner said than done:and all breathed freely once more, on seeing the Porcupine safely caged.

The Professor rubbed his hands in childish delight. `TheExperiment has succeeded!' he proclaimed. `All that is needed now is tofeed it three times a day, on chopped carrots and--'

`Never mind about its food, just now!' the Emperor interrupted.`Let us return to the Banquet. Brother, will you lead the way?' And theold man, attended by his children, headed the procession down stairs. `Seethe fate of a loveless life!' he said to Bruno, as they returned to theirplaces. To which Bruno made reply, `I always loved Sylvie. so I'll neverget prickly like that!'

`He is prickly, certainly,' said the Professor, who hadcaught the last words, `but we must remember that, however porcupiny, heis royal still! After this feast is over, I'm going to take a little presentto Prince Uggug--just to soothe him, you know: it isn't pleasant livingin a cage.'

`What'll you give him for a birthday-present?' Bruno enquired.

`A small saucer of chopped carrots,' replied the Professor.`In giving birthday-presents, my motto is--cheapness! I should think Isave forty pounds a year by giving--oh, what a twinge of pain!'

`What is it?' said Sylvie anxiously.

`My old enemy!' groaned the Professor. `Lumbago--rheumatism--thatsort of thing. I think I'll go and lie down a bit.' And he hobbled outof the Saloon, watched by the pitying eyes of the two children.

`He'll be better soon!' the Elfin-King said cheerily.`Brother!' turning to the Emperor, `I have some business to arrange withyou to-night. The Empress will take care of the children.' And the twoBrothers went away together, arm-in-arm.

The Empress found the children rather sad company. Theycould talk of nothing but `the dear Professor', and `what a pity he's soill', till at last she made the welcome proposal `Let's go and see him!'

The children eagerly grasped the hands she offered them:and we went off to the Professor's study, and found him lying on the sofa,covered up with blankets, and reading a little manuscript-book. `Noteson Vol. Three!' he murmured, looking up at us. And there, on a table nearhim, lay the book he was seeking when first I saw him.

`And how are you now, Professor?' the Empress asked, bendingover the invalid.

The Professor looked up, and smiled feebly. `As devotedto your Imperial Highness as ever!' he said in a weak voice. `All of me,that is not Lumbago, is Loyalty!'

`A sweet sentiment!' the Empress exclaimed with tearsin her eyes. `You seldom hear anything so beautiful as that--even in aValentine!'

`We must take you to stay at the seaside,' Sylvie said,tenderly. `It'll do you ever so much good! And the Sea's so grand!'

`But a Mountain's grander!' said Bruno.

`What is there grand about the Sea?' said the Professor.`Why, you could put it all into a teacup!'

`Some of it,' Sylvie corrected him.

`Well, you'd only want a certain number of teacups tohold it all. And then where's the grandeur? Then as to a Mountain--why,you could carry it all away in a wheel-barrow, in a certain number of years!'

`It wouldn't look grand--the bits of it in the wheel-barrow,'Sylvie candidly admitted.

`But when oo put it together again--' Bruno began.

`When you're older,' said the Professor, `you'll knowthat you ca'n't put Mountains together again so easily! One lives and onelearns, you know!'

`But it needn't be the same one, need it?' said Bruno.`Wo'n't it do, if I live, and if Sylvie learns?'

`I ca'n't learn without living!' said Sylvie.

`But I can live without learning!' Bruno retorted. `Oojust try me!'

`What I meant, was--' the Professor began, looking muchpuzzled, `--was--that you don't know everything, you know.'

`But I do know everything I know!' persisted the littlefellow. `I know ever so many things! Everything, 'cept the things I don'tknow. And Sylvie knows all the rest.'

The Professor sighed, and gave it up. `Do you know whata Boojum is?'

`I know!' cried Bruno. `It's the thing what wrenches peopleout of their boots!'

`He means "bootjack",' Sylvie explained in a whisper.

`You ca'n't wrench people out of boots,' the Professormildly observed.

Bruno laughed saucily. `Oo can, though! Unless they'rewelly tight in.'

`Once upon a time there was a Boojum--' the Professorbegan, but stopped suddenly. `I forget the rest of the Fable,' he said.`And there was a lesson to be learned from it. I'm afraid I forget thattoo.'

`I'll tell oo a Fable!' Bruno began in a great hurry.`Once there were a Locust, and a Magpie, and a Engine-driver. And the Lessonis, to learn to get up early--'

`it isn't a bit interesting!' Sylvie said contemptuously.`You shouldn't put the Lesson so soon.'

`When did you invent that Fable?' said the Professor.`Last week?'

`No!' said Bruno. `A deal shorter ago than that. Guessagain!'

`I ca'n't guess,' said the Professor. `How long ago?'

`Why, it isn't invented yet!' Bruno exclaimed triumphantly.`But I have invented a lovely one! Shall I say it?'

`If you've finished inventing it,' said Sylvie. `And letthe Lesson be "to try again"!'

`No,' said Bruno with great decision. `The Lesson are"not to try again"! Once there were a lovely china man, what stood on thechimbley-piece. And he stood, and he stood. And one day he tumbleded off,and he didn't hurt his self one bit. Only he would try again. And the nexttime he tumbleded off, he hurted his self welly much, and breaked off everso much varnish.'

`But how did he come back on the chimney-piece after hisfirst tumble?' said the Empress. (It was the first sensible question shehad asked in all her life.)

`I put him there!' cried Bruno.

`Then I'm afraid you know something about his tumbling,'said the Professor. `Perhaps you pushed him?'

To which Bruno replied, very seriously, `Didn't pushedhim much--he were a lovely china man,' he added hastily, evidently veryanxious to change the subject.

`Come, my children!' said the Elfin-King, who had justentered the room. `We must have a little chat together, before you go tobed.' And he was leading them away, but at the door they let go his hands,and ran back again to wish the Professor good night.

`Good night, Professor, good night!' And Bruno solemnlyshook hands with the old man, who gazed at him with a loving smile, whileSylvie bent down to press her sweet lips upon his forehead.

`Good night, little ones!' said the Professor. `You mayleave me now--to ruminate. I'm as jolly as the day is long, except whenit's necessary to ruminate on some very difficult subject. All of me,'he murmured sleepily as we left the room, `all of me, that isn't Bonhommie,is Rumination!'

`What did he say, Bruno?' Sylvie enquired, as soon aswe were safely out of hearing.

`I think he said "All of me that isn't Bone-disease isRheumatism." Whatever are that knocking, Sylvie?'

Sylvie stopped, and listened anxiously. It sounded likesome one kicking at a door. `I hope it isn't that Porcupine breaking loose!'she exclaimed.

`Let's go on!' Bruno said hastily. `There's nuffin towait for, oo know!'