s thumb! And when one of
the gentlemen-in-waiting lifted him up and carried him--fancy carrying a
king!--to the chair of state, and put the crown on his head, he shook it
off again, it was so heavy and uncomfortable. Sliding down to the foot
of the throne he began playing with the golden lions that supported it,
stroking their paws and putting his tiny fingers into their eyes, and
laughing--laughing as if he had at last found something to amuse him.

"There's a fine king for you!" said the first lord-in-waiting, a friend
of the Prince Regent's (the Crown-Prince that used to be, who, in the
deepest mourning, stood silently beside the throne of his young nephew.
He was a handsome man, very grand and clever-looking). "What a king! who
can never stand to receive his subjects, never walk in processions, who
to the last day of his life will have to be carried about like a baby.
Very unfortunate!"

"Exceedingly unfortunate," repeated the second lord. "It is always bad
for a nation when its king is a child; but such a child--a permanent
cripple, if not worse."

"Let us hope not worse," said the first lord in a very hopeless tone,
and looking toward the Regent, who stood erect and pretended to hear
nothing. "I have heard that these sort of children with very large
heads, and great broad fore-heads and staring eyes, are--well, well, let
us hope for the best and be prepared for the worst. In the meantime----"

"I swear," said the Crown-Prince, coming forward and kissing the hilt of
his sword--"I swear to perform my duties as Regent, to take all care of
his Royal Highness--his Majesty, I mean," with a grand bow to the little
child, who laughed innocently back again. "And I will do my humble
best to govern the country. Still, if the country has the slightest
objection----"

But the Crown-Prince being generalissimo, having the whole army at his
beck and call, so that he could have begun a civil war in no time, the
country had, of course, not the slightest objection.

So the King and Queen slept together in peace, and Prince Dolor reigned
over the land--that is, his uncle did; and everybody said what a
fortunate thing it was for the poor little Prince to have such a clever
uncle to take care of him.

All things went on as usual; indeed, after the Regent had brought his
wife and her seven sons, and established them in the palace, rather
better than usual. For they gave such splendid entertainments and made
the capital so lively