ly laid a document before the king
summarizing what they did not hesitate to declare the "infamous
actions of His Royal Highness, the Crown Prince."

The king's sense of justice and righteousness at once overcame his
foolish pride.

"My people stand justified in their attitude which at first I thought
only disrespectful to my royal person," he said. "I owe them an
apology and recompense. I shall atone. And my son shall atone, too.
He shall not escape punishment."

He summoned his son to appear before him, and the prince entered the
royal justice chamber with the air of a braggart, smiling
contemptuously at the learned judges who were seated to right and left
of his majesty, and defiantly cracking his whip.

"Knowest thou why thou hast been bidden to stand before the judges of
the land?" asked the king.

"I know not and I care not," was the haughty answer. "The foolish
chatter of the mob interests me not."

The king frowned. He had not seen the prince behave in this fashion
before. In the presence of his father, he had always been respectful.

"Thou hast disgraced thy honored name and thy mother's sacred memory,
foolish prince," exclaimed the monarch angrily. "Thou hast humiliated
thyself and me before the people."

Still the prince tried to laugh off the matter as a joke, but he
quickly discovered that the king was in no mood for trifling. Standing
grave and erect, his majesty pronounced sentence in a loud and firm
voice.

"Know all men," he said, while all the judges, counselors, officers of
state and representatives of the people stood awed to silence, "that
it having been proved on indisputable evidence that the prince, my
son, hath grievously transgressed against the righteous laws of this
land and against the people, my subjects, on whom he hath heaped
insult, I have taken counsel with my advisers, the ministers of state,
and it is my royal will and pleasure to pronounce sentence. Wherefore,
I declare that my son, the prince, shall be cast forth into the world,
penniless, and shall not return until he shall have learned how to
Count Five. And be it further known that none may minister unto his
wants should he crave assistance by declaring he is my son, the
prince."

The prince stood astounded. What did the mysterious sentence mean?
None could tell him. The only answer to his inquiries was a shrug of
the shoulders, for nobody would speak to him.

In the dead of night, with only the stars gazing down o