curred to him.

{The waiters: p38.jpg}

"The king," he said to himself, "has threatened to execute anybody who
speaks to me, or helps me in any way. Well, I don't mean to starve in
the midst of plenty, anyhow; here goes!"

The prince rose, and went to the table in the midst of the room, where a
huge roast turkey had just been placed. He helped himself to half the
breast, some sausages, chestnut stuffing, bread sauce, potatoes, and a
bottle of red wine--Burgundy. He then went back to a table in a corner,
where he dined very well, nobody taking any notice of him. When he had
finished, he sat watching the other people dining, and smoking his
cigarette. As he was sitting thus, a very tall man, an officer in the
uniform of the Guards, came in, and, walking straight to the prince's
table, said: "Kellner, clean this table, and bring in the bill of fare."

With these words, the officer sat down suddenly in the prince's lap, as
if he did not see him at all. He was a heavy man, and the prince,
enraged at the insult, pushed him away and jumped to his feet. As he did
so, _his cap dropped off_. The officer fell on his knees at once,
crying:

"Pardon, my prince, pardon! I never saw you!"

This was more than the prince could be expected to believe.

"Nonsense! Count Frederick von Matterhorn," he said; "you must be
intoxicated. Sir! you have insulted your prince and your superior
officer. Consider yourself under arrest! You shall be sent to a prison
to-morrow."

On this, the poor officer appealed piteously to everybody in the tavern.
They all declared that they had not seen the prince, nor even had an idea
that he was doing them the honour of being in the neighbourhood of their
town.

More and more offended, and convinced that there was a conspiracy to
annoy and insult him, the prince shouted for the landlord, called for his
bill, threw down his three pieces of gold without asking for change, and
went into the street.

"It is a disgraceful conspiracy," he said. "The king shall answer for
this! I shall write to the newspapers at once!"

He was not put in a better temper by the way in which people hustled him
in the street. They ran against him exactly as if they did not see him,
and then staggered back in the greatest surprise, looking in every
direction for the person they had jostled. In one of these encounters,
the prince pushed so hard against a poor old beggar woman that she fell
down. As he was usua