The Prince of Crim Tartary made his appearance, attended by Baron
Sleibootz, his chamberlain, and followed by a black page carrying the
most beautiful crown you ever saw! He was dressed in his travelling
costume, and his hair, as you see, was a little in disorder. ‘I have
ridden three hundred miles since breakfast,’ said he, ‘so eager was I to
behold the Prin--the Court and august family of Paflagonia, and I could
not wait one minute before appearing in Your Majesties’ presences.’
Giglio, from behind the throne, burst out into a roar of contemptuous
laughter; but all the Royal party, in fact, were so flurried, that they
did not hear this little outbreak. ‘Your R. H. is welcome in any dress,’
says the King. ‘Glumboso, a chair for His Royal Highness.’
‘Any dress His Royal Highness wears IS a Court dress,’ says Princess
Angelica, smiling graciously.
‘Ah! but you should see my other clothes,’ said the Prince. ‘I should
have had them on, but that stupid carrier has not brought them. Who’s
that laughing?’
It was Giglio laughing. ‘I was laughing,’ he said, ‘because you said
just now that you were in such a hurry to see the Princess, that you
could not wait to change your dress; and now you say you come in those
clothes because you have no others.’
‘And who are you?’ says Prince Bulbo, very fiercely.
‘My father was King of this country, and I am his only son, Prince!’
replies Giglio, with equal haughtiness.
‘Ha!’ said the King and Glumboso, looking very flurried; but the former,
collecting himself, said, ‘Dear Prince Bulbo, I forgot to introduce to
Your Royal Highness my dear nephew, His Royal Highness Prince Giglio!
Know each other! Embrace each other! Giglio, give His Royal Highness
your hand!’ and Giglio, giving his hand, squeezed poor Bulbo’s until the
tears ran out of his eyes. Glumboso now brought a chair for the Royal
visitor, and placed it on the platform on which the King, Queen, and
Prince were seated; but the chair was on the edge of the platform, and
as Bulbo sat down, it toppled over, and he with it, rolling over and
over, and bellowing like a bull. Giglio roared still louder at this
disaster, but it was with laughter; so did all the Court when Prince
Bulbo got up; for though when he entered the room he appeared not very
ridiculous, as he stood up from his fall for a moment he looked so
exceedingly plain and foolish, that nobody could help laughing at him.
When he had entered the room, he was observed to carry a rose in his
hand, which fell out of it as he tumbled.
‘My rose! my rose!’ cried Bulbo; and his chamberlain dashed forwards and
picked it up, and gave it to the Prince, who put it in his waistcoat.
Then people wondered why they had laughed; there was nothing
particularly ridiculous in him. He was rather short, rather stout,
rather red-haired, but, in fine, for a Prince, not so bad.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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