"'Play with!' answered the little brother in a tone of utter surprise. 'My dear sir, I have no time to play. Letters, telegrams, appointments by scores fill my time. Let me tell you, sir, there is no busier man than your humble servant in the whole country.' "With which he turned about and strode off with the longest strides his little legs in their blue sailor trousers could take; for he had become a man of business. "'This is too absurd,' muttered the elder, and went off to look for the church of which he was vicar. "The same remarkable change came over all the children. One little brat who was busy teasing an unfortunate kitten stopped suddenly, and rushed off in search of pen and paper, with which he returned, and began at once to compose an ode 'To Tabitha.' "'Fairest pussy ever seen! With thine eyes of clearest green, Fly me not.' That was how it began, for he had become a poet." "I thought poets wrote about knights and ladies, and green fields and the moon," remonstrated Bryda. "So they do. But sometimes they want a new subject, and this young genius thought he had found one. "Well, all the children, without losing their child faces and figures, turned into the sort of people they would be when they were grown up. So of course their games seemed very dull, and they wanted grown-up occupations. But not knowing quite how to set to work, they were all lounging vaguely about, when the clear notes of a bugle sounded through the city. "This was the well-known signal for the assembling of the whole population in the park, and off went all these queer grown-up children to the place of meeting. Here they were met by Queen May, who sat on a garden-chair with her court around her, all looking very solemn. "'My faithful subjects,' said the queen, 'I have sent for you to consider a very grave question. I regret to state that the affairs of this kingdom are in a condition which will, perhaps, be best described as unsatisfactory.' "'Hear, hear!' said a gentleman of four, bowing gravely. "'Hear, hear!' echoed many voices. "'Perhaps the most unsatisfactory point is,' went on Queen May, who, you see, talked in very grown-up language, 'is, I say, the banishment of a large portion of the population; that portion, in fact, which we were formerly accustomed to call our elders and betters.' "Cries of 'No, no!' "Queen May went on to explain that after all they got on badly without these elders. With all their efforts the young folks had not strength or skill to do a variety of things, without which the round of life seemed likely soon to come to a standstill. So she proposed that she and all who would go should start at once for the mountain and fetch home the exiles. "There was some murmuring at this. The old law might be carried out, and the children made wretched again.