'I don't care,' said Billy to himself. 'I'll run away and get a situation on my own--something interesting. I wonder if I could learn how to be a pirate captain or a highwayman?' And next morning Billy got up very early, before anyone was about, and ran away. He ran till he was out of breath and then he walked, and he walked till he was out of patience, and then he ran again, and between walking and running he came at last plump up to the door of a shop. And over the shop there were big painted letters saying, 'Registry office for all sorts of persons out of employment.' 'I'm out of employment, anyway,' said he. The window of the shop had big green-baize-shutter sort of things in them, with white cards fastened on to them with drawing-pins, and on the cards were written the kind of persons out of employment the registry office had got places for. And in the very first one he read there was his own name--King! 'I've come to the right shop,' said Billy, and he read the card through. 'Good general King wanted. Must be used to the business.' 'That's not me, I'm afraid,' thought Billy, 'because whatever a general King's business is I can't be used to it till I've tried it.' The next was: 'Good steady King wanted. Must be quick, willing, and up to his work.' 'I'm willing enough,' said Billy, 'and I'm quick enough--at any rate, at fives or footer--but I don't know what a steady King's work is.' So he looked at another card. 'Wanted, respectable King to take entire charge of Parliament, and to assist in Cabinet Councils and Reform of the Army, to open Bazaars and Schools of Art, and make himself generally useful.' Billy shook his head. 'I think that must be a very hard place,' said he. The next was: 'Competent Queen wanted; economical and good manager.' 'Whatever else I am I'm not a Queen,' said Billy, and he was just turning sadly away, when he saw a little card stuck away in the right-hand top corner of the baize field. 'Hard-working King wanted; no objection to one who has not been out before.' 'I can but try,' said Billy, and he opened the door of the registry office and walked in. Inside there were several desks. At the first desk a lion with a pen behind its ear was dictating to a unicorn, who was writing in a series of Blue-books with his horn. Billy noticed that the horn had been sharpened to a nice point, like a lead pencil when the drawing-master does it for you as a favour. 'I think you want a King?' said Billy timidly. 'No, we don't,' said the lion, and it turned on him so quickly that Billy was sorry he had spoken. 'The situation is filled, young man, and we're thoroughly suited.' Billy was turning away, much dispirited, when the unicorn said: 'Try some of the others.'