o a house which is
under my protection? Have I not pronounced sentence of perpetual
banishment upon you as a pretender to the imperial throne? Away,
treasonous vassal; begone from my sight for ever!"

Two little legs had suddenly shot out beneath the radish's large head,
and with them he made a spring out of the plate, placed himself close
in front of Cordovanspitz, and addressed him as follows--

"Fierce and tyrannical Daucus Carota the First, you have striven in
vain to exterminate my race. Had ever any of your family a head as
large as mine, or that of my king? We are all gifted with talent,
common-sense, wisdom, sharpness, cultivated manners: and whilst _you_
loaf about in kitchens and stables, and are of no use as soon as your
early youth is gone (so that in very truth it is nothing but the
_diable de la jeunesse_ that bestows upon you your brief, transitory,
little bit of good fortune), _we_ enjoy the friendship of, and the
intercourse with, people of position, and are greeted with acclamation
as soon as ever we lift up our green heads. But I despise you, Daucus
Carota. You're nothing but a low, uncultivated, ignorant Boor, like all
the lot of you. Let's see which of us two is the better man."

With this the Duke of Radish, flourishing a long whip about his head,
proceeded, without more ado, to attack the person of King Daucus Carota
the First. The latter quickly drew his little sword, and defended
himself in the bravest manner. The two little creatures darted about in
the room, fighting fiercely, and executing the most wonderful leaps and
bounds, till Daucus Carota pressed the Duke of Radish so hard that the
latter found himself obliged to make a tremendous jump out of the
window and take to the open. But Daucus Carota--with whose remarkable
agility and dexterity the reader is already acquainted--bounded out
after him, and followed the Duke of Radish across country.

Herr Dapsul von Zabelthau had looked on at this terrible encounter
rigid and speechless, but he now broke forth into loud and bitter
lamentation, crying, "Oh, daughter Anna! oh, my poor unfortunate
daughter Anna! Lost--I--you--both of us. All is over with us." With
which he left the room, and ascended the astronomical tower as fast as
his legs would carry him.

Fraeulein Aennchen couldn't understand a bit, or form the very slightest
idea what in all the world had set her father into all this boundless
misery all of a sudden. The whole thing had