us sections of the public were informed in
their daily journals how they and other sections were behaving
themselves; how business men went to office almost apologetically, and
only because they could not help themselves; how nursemaids hushed the
voices of their charges as they wheeled them past the precincts of the
palace for their morning's airing in the royal park; and how Jingalo
only consented to its accustomed portion of beer in order that it might
drink to the King's health and his quick recovery.

Every week in the streets at the back of the palace fresh straw was laid
down, not so much for the benefit of the sufferer (whose room was too
far away for any sound of traffic to disturb him), but as a stimulus to
popular imagination. The men who laid it down performed their task as
though the eye of the whole nation were upon them; and even upon the
Stock Exchange one learned that the rise and fall of prices were but the
harmonious accompaniment of a stupendous national anxiety.

All these things Jingalo was told by its newspapers, and some of them
were true; and in the reading and the doing of them how Jingalo enjoyed
itself! It had never had such a time of feeling good, unselfish, and
thoughtful on a large and homogeneous scale, without having to do
anything particularly unpleasant in return. The theaters suffered, but
not nearly so much as the charities; for though Jingalo was still able
decorously to amuse itself--and did so at her Majesty's special request,
for the sake of trade--it could not have its heart successfully wrung by
human compassion in more than one direction at a time--at least, not to
the same extent. And so, charitable appeals had to wait till a livelier
sense of gratitude prompted by the King's recovery should revive them.

In the conduct of human affairs association plays a very curious part.
When a man is shouting for joy he can scatter largesse with a free hand,
but he cannot loosen his purse-strings while he is holding his breath;
and even when it is only being held for him by a sort of hypnotic
suggestion, his nature is still undergoing a certain impedimental
strain.

And as a visible embodiment to all this strain of calculation and
suspense, small crowds could be seen standing constantly at the gates of
the palace, waiting for bulletins and watching with a curious
fascination the flag that so obstinately continued to float mast high.
They watched it as a crowd watches for a similar sig