"Ha!" said the editor. "Mr. Smith, will you kindly do me a column in
support of His Majesty's new Idea?"

"Hum! Well, you see," put in Mr. Smith, the eminent journalist. "How
about the new contingent of readers you said you were anxious to
net--the readers who are not altogether satisfied with the recent
attitude of His Majesty?"

"Oh! ah! I quite forgot," said the editor. "Look here, then, just do me
an enigmatical and oracular article that can be read either way."

"Right," replied the eminent journalist. "By the way, I didn't tell you
the Idea," suggested the footman.

"Oh! that doesn't matter; but there, you can, if you like," said the
editor.

[Illustration]

After that the footman sold the news of the Idea to an ordinary
reporter, who dealt with the Rushahead and the revolutionary papers; and
the reporter rushed into the office of the _Whirler_, the leading
Rushahead paper.

[Illustration]

"King! New Idea!" said the editor of the _Whirler_. "Here, do me five
columns of amiable satire upon the King's Idea; keep up the tone of
loyalty--tolerant loyalty--of course; and try to keep hold of those
readers the _Immovable_ is fishing for, of course."

"Very good," said Brown.

"Shall I tell you the Idea?" asked the reporter.

"Ah! yes; if you want to," replied editor.

Then the reporter rushed off to the _Shouter_, the leading revolutionary
journal.

"Here!--hi!--Cruncher!" shouted the editor; "King's got a new Idea. Do
me a whole number full of scathing satire, bitter recrimination, vague
menace, and so on, about the King's Idea. Dwell on the selfishness and
class-invidiousness of the Idea--on the resultant injury to the working
classes and the poor; show how it is another deliberate blow to the
writhing son of toil--you know."

"I know," said Redwrag, the eminent Trafalgar Square journalist.

"Wouldn't you like to hear what the Idea is?" asked the reporter.

"No, I should NOT!" thundered the editor. "Don't defile my ears with
particulars!"

The moment the public heard how the King had got a new Idea, they rushed
to their newspapers to ascertain what judgment they ought to form upon
it; and, as the newspaper writers had carefully thought out what sort of
judgment their public would like to form upon it, the leading articles
exactly reflected the views which that public feebly and
half-consciously held, but would have feared to express without support;
and everything was prejudiced and satisfact