being done to him.

"George," said the Mayor, "this is going too far. Do you mean to Blue-
Pool the Professors or no?"

"Not if they will compromise. If they will be reasonable, they will not
be Blue-Pooled; if they think they can have everything their own way, the
eels will be at them before morning."

A voice was heard from the head of Panky which he had buried in his arms
upon the table. "Co-co-co-compromise," it said; and the effect was so
comic that every one except Hanky smiled. Meanwhile Yram had conducted
Dr. Downie and Mrs. Humdrum into an adjoining room.

CHAPTER XX: MRS. HUMDRUM AND DR. DOWNIE PROPOSE A COMPROMISE, WHICH,
AFTER AN AMENDMENT BY GEORGE, IS CARRIED NEM. CON.

They returned in about ten minutes, and Dr. Downie asked Mrs. Humdrum to
say what they had agreed to recommend.

"We think," said she very demurely, "that the strict course would be to
drop the charge of poaching, and Blue-Pool both the Professors and the
prisoner without delay.

"We also think that the proper thing would be to place on record that the
prisoner is the Sunchild--about which neither Dr. Downie nor I have a
shadow of doubt.

"These measures we hold to be the only legal ones, but at the same time
we do not recommend them. We think it would offend the public conscience
if it came to be known, as it certainly would, that the Sunchild was
violently killed, on the very day that had seen us dedicate a temple in
his honour, and perhaps at the very hour when laudatory speeches were
being made about him at the Mayor's banquet; we think also that we should
strain a good many points rather than Blue-Pool the Professors.

"Nothing is perfect, and Truth makes her mistakes like other people; when
she goes wrong and reduces herself to such an absurdity as she has here
done, those who love her must save her from herself, correct her, and
rehabilitate her.

"Our conclusion, therefore, is this:-

"The prisoner must recant on oath his statement that he is the Sunchild.
The interpreter must be squared, or convinced of his mistake. The
Mayoress, Dr. Downie, I, and the gaoler (with the interpreter if we can
manage him), must depose on oath that the prisoner is not Higgs. This
must be our contribution to the rehabilitation of Truth.

"The Professors must contribute as follows: They must swear that the
prisoner is not the man they met with quails in his possession on
Thursday night. They must further swear that they hav