urned
pale, and raised his eyes to heaven; sighs heaved his bosom; some
terrible inward pain was clearly raging within him. But when the
black-puddings were handed round, he fell back in his seat, loudly
sobbing and groaning.

"'Every one rose from the table, and the court physician tried in vain
to feel his pulse. Ultimately, after the administration of most
powerful remedies--burnt feathers, and the like--his majesty seemed to
recover his senses to some extent, and stammered, scarce audibly, the
words: "Too little fat!"

"'The queen cast herself down at his feet in despair, and cried, in a
voice broken by sobs, "Oh, my poor unfortunate royal consort! Ah, what
tortures you are doomed to endure! But see the culprit here at your
feet! Punish her severely! Alas! Dame Mouseyrinks, her uncles, her
seven sons, her cousins and her aunts, came and ate up nearly all the
fat--and----

"Here the queen fell back insensible.

"'But the king jumped up, all anger, and cried in a terrible voice,
"Mistress of the robes, what is the meaning of this?"

"The mistress of the robes told all she knew, and the king resolved to
take revenge on Dame Mouseyrinks and her family for eating up the fat
which ought to have been in the sausages. The privy council was
summoned, and it was resolved that Dame Mouseyrinks should be tried for
her life, and all her property confiscated. But as his majesty was of
opinion that she might go on consuming the fat, which was his
appanage, the whole matter was referred to the court Clockmaker and
Arcanist--whose name was the same as mine--Christian Elias
Drosselmeier, and he undertook to expel Dame Mouseyrinks and all her
relations from the palace precincts forever, by means of a certain
politico-diplomatic procedure. He invented certain ingenious little
machines, into which pieces of browned fat were inserted; and he placed
these machines down all about the dwelling of Dame Mouseyrinks. Now she
herself was much too knowing not to see through Drosselmeier's
artifice; but all her remonstrances and warnings to her relations were
unavailing. Enticed by the fragrant odour of the browned fat, all her
seven sons, and a great many of her uncles, her cousins and her aunts,
walked into Drosselmeier's little machines, and were immediately taken
prisoners by the fall of a small grating; after which they met with a
shameful death in the kitchen.

"Dame Mouseyrinks left this scene of horror with her small following.
R