“Members of the Committee will please take their seats in the following order of precedence,” drawled a melancholy voice from a desk at the further end of the room, where a worried-looking little old man, in a very rusty black gown, and who wore enormous green goggles, sat with a large book open before him, and a quill pen stuck behind his ear:-- “The King’s Exaggerator,” he called out; “The Lord High Fiddle-de-dee; “The First Lord of the Cash Box; “The Advertiser General; “The Minister of Experiments; “The Public Persecutor; “The Busybody Extraordinary; “The Gentleman of the Glove Box; “The First Groom of the Boot Brushes; “The Kitchen Poker in Waiting; and “His Insignificance the Court Poet. “Other persons to sit-where they can.” As each one of these names was called out one of the gentlemen sat down, so that Boy was able to tell exactly who they were; and as all the seats at the table were now occupied, the M.D., One-and-Nine, and Boy found seats against the wall near the Clerk who had called out the names. As soon as they were seated, the old gentleman got out of his box and shuffled forward with some paper, a pot of ink and some pens. These he put into Boy’s hands and muttered something about “fetching a table.” [Illustration: 8089] “What are these for?” inquired Boy. “Paper for your impressions,” drawled the Clerk. “I suppose you have come to report this meeting, haven’t you?” “No, indeed I haven’t!” said Boy in alarm. “Dear me! What have you come for then?” asked the old Clerk in an amazed voice. “Hush! hush!” called out some one, “His Importance is about to speak,” and the old Clerk hobbled back to his seat, looking more worried than ever, while the gentleman seated at the head of the table, and who Boy found was called The Lord High Adjudicator, arose and made the following speech:-- “Gentlemen, we are met for the purpose of discussing the grave situation caused by the extraordinary absence of His Serene Importance the Crown Prince of Zum----” “Hereditary Grand Duke of Grumbleberry Plumbhop, Knight of the Order of----” began the King’s Exaggerator, when he was interrupted by the Public Persecutor, who inquired,-- “What’s the use of all that, when there is no one but us to hear you?” “I must perform my official duties,” remarked the King’s Exaggerator. “You can have no official duties now that there is no King and the Prince has disappeared,” objected the Public Persecutor. “Gentlemen, gentlemen, pray don’t argue,” interrupted the Lord High Adjudicator, “or we shall waste all day in discussion. If the King’s Exaggerator wishes to do a little exaggerating on his own account, I am sure no one will object, but he must do it outside and not here; and now, in order that you may understand it all more clearly, I will call upon His Insignificance the Court Poet to read us ‘The Cause of Dismay.’”