The Little Lame Prince and His Travelling-Cloak/Chapter VIII
From Wikisource Jump to: navigation, search  What, I wonder,
would be people's idea of a king? What was Prince Dolor's?
Perhaps a very splendid personage, with a crown on his head and
a scepter in his hand, sitting on a throne and judging the
people. Always doing right, and never wrong—"The king can do no
wrong" was a law laid down in olden times. Never cross, or
tired, or sick, or suffering; perfectly handsome and well
dressed, calm and good-tempered, ready to see and hear
everybody, and discourteous to nobody; all things always going
well with him, and nothing unpleasant ever happening.  This,
probably, was what Prince Dolor expected to see. And what did he
see? But I must tell you how he saw it.  "Ah," said the magpie,
"no levee to-day. The King is ill, though his Majesty does not
wish it to be generally known—it would be so very inconvenient.
He can't see you, but perhaps you might like to go and take a
look at him in a way I often do? It is s