no other family would
have been associated with if they had done them. That is about the only
use there is in having a royal family. But the fairy godmother of
Prince--"

"Butterflyflutterby," said the niece.

"And Princess--"

"Flutterbybutterfly," said the nephew.

"Correct," said the papa.

The children rose up into a capital A again, and whispered, "He didn't
catch us _that_ time," and fell back, laughing, and the papa had to go
on.

"The fairy godmother thought she would try to bring up the Prince and
Princess rather better than most Princes and Princesses were brought up,
and so she said that the only thing they should be allowed to do
different from other people was to make a mess. If any other persons
were caught making a mess they were banished; and there was another law
that was perfectly awful."

"What-was-it-go-ahead?" said the nephew, running all his words together,
he was so anxious to know.

"Why, if any person was found clearing up anywhere, and it turned out to
be a mess that the royal twins had made, the person was thrown from a
tower."

"Did it kill them?" the niece inquired, rather faintly.

"Well, no, it didn't _kill_ them exactly, but it bounced them up pretty
high. You see, they fell on a bed of India-rubber about twenty feet
deep. It gave them a good scare; and that's the great thing in throwing
persons from a high tower."

The nephew hastened to improve the opportunity which seemed to be given
for asking questions.

"What do you mean exactly by making a mess, uncle?"

"Oh, scattering scraps of paper about, or scuffing the landscape, or
getting jam or molasses on the face of nature, or having bonfires in the
back yard of the palace, or leaving dolls around on the throne. But what
did I say about asking questions? Now there's another thing about this
story: when it comes to the exciting part, if you move the least bit, or
even breathe loud, the story stops, just as if you didn't know which was
the Prince and which was the Princess. _Now_ do you understand?"

The children both said "Yes" in a very small whisper, and cowered down
almost under the clothing, and held on tight, so as to keep from
stirring.

[Illustration: "THE YOUNG KHAN AND KHANT ENTERED THE KINGDOM WITH A
MAGNIFICENT RETINUE."]

The papa went on: "Well, about the time they had got these two laws in
full force, and forty or fifty thousand boys and girls had been banished
for making a mess, and pretty nearly all