"Oh! they murdered and killed; they stealed, and they were very wicked altogether. Well," he went on, resuming his discourse, "the morning came, and the judge said, 'Get the ropes and my throne, and order the people _not_ to come to see the hangin'.' For the man was decided to be hanged. Now, the people _would_ come. They were the wicked, and they would _persist_ in comin'. They were the wicked; and, if that was the _fact_, the judge must do something to them. "Chapter eighty-nine. _The hangin'_.--We'll have some singin' while I think." "Yankee Doodle" was accordingly sung with much enthusiasm and solemnity. Then Charles resumed. "Well, they had to put the other people, who persisted in coming, in prison, till the man who murdered people was hanged. I think my brother will go on." He descended, and gave place to Ernest, who began with vigor. "We were reading about Herod, weren't we? Then the wicked people _would_ come, and had to be put to death. They were on the man's side; and they all called out that he hadn't had his wish before he died, as they did in those days. So of course he wished for his life, and of course the judge wouldn't let him have _that_ wish; and so he wished to speak to his friends, and they let him. And the nasty wicked people took him away, and he was never seen in that country any more. And that's enough to-day, I think. Let us sing 'Lord Lovel he stood at his castle-gate, a combing his milk-white steed.'" At the conclusion of this mournful ballad, the congregation was allowed to disperse. But, before they had gone far, they were recalled by the offer of a more secular entertainment from Charles, who re-ascended the pulpit, and delivered himself as follows:-- "Well, the play is called--not a proverb or a charade it isn't--it's a play called 'The Birds and the Babies.' Well! "Once there was a little cottage, and lots of little babies in it. Nobody knew who the babies were. They were so happy! Now, I can't explain it to you how they came together: they had no father and mother, but they were brothers and sisters. They never _grew_, and they didn't like it. Now, _you_ wouldn't like _not_ to _grow_, would you? They had a little garden, and saw a great many birds in the trees. They _were_ happy, but didn't _feel_ happy--that's a funny thing now! The wicked fairies made them unhappy, and the good fairies made them happy; they gave them lots of toys. But then, how they got their living! "Chapter second, called 'The Babies at Play.'--The fairies told them what to get--_that was it!_--and so they got their living Very nicely. And now I must explain what they played with. First was a house. _A house._ Another, dolls. They were very happy, and felt as if they had a mother and father; but they hadn't, and _couldn't_ make it out. _Couldn't--make--it--out!_