a thing as justice in Paflagonia? Lord
Chancellor! my Lord Archbishop! will your Lordships sit by and see a
poor, fond, confiding, tender creature put upon? Has not Prince Giglio
promised to marry his Barbara? Is not this Giglio's signature? Does not
this paper declare that he is mine, and only mine?' And she handed
to his Grace the Archbishop the document which the Prince signed
that evening when she wore the magic ring, and Giglio drank so much
champagne. And the old Archbishop, taking out his eyeglasses, read--

"'This is to give notice, that I, Giglio, only son of Savio, King of
Paflagonia, hereby promise to marry the charming Barbara Griselda,
Countess Gruffanuff, and widow of the late Jenkins Gruffanuff, Esq."

'H'm,' says the Archbishop, 'the document is certainly a--a document.'

'Phoo!' says the Lord Chancellor, 'the signature is not in His Majesty's
handwriting.' Indeed, since his studies at Bosforo, Giglio had made an
immense improvement in caligraphy.

'Is it your handwriting, Giglio?' cries the Fairy Blackstick, with an
awful severity of countenance.

'Y--y--y--es,' poor Giglio gasps out, 'I had quite forgotten the
confounded paper: she can't mean to hold me by it. You old wretch, what
will you take to let me off? Help the Queen, some one--Her Majesty has
fainted.'

'Chop her head off!'} exclaim the impetuous 'Smother the old witch!' }
Hedzoff, the ardent Smith, and 'Pitch her into the river!'} the faithful
Jones.

But Gruffanuff flung her arms round the Archbishop's neck, and bellowed
out, 'Justice, justice, my Lord Chancellor!' so loudly, that her
piercing shrieks caused everybody to pause. As for Rosalba, she was
borne away lifeless by her ladies; and you may imagine the look of agony
which Giglio cast towards that lovely being, as his hope, his joy, his
darling, his all in all, was thus removed, and in her place the horrid
old Gruffanuff rushed up to his side, and once more shrieked out,
'Justice, justice!'

'Won't you take that sum of money which Glumboso hid?' says Giglio; 'two
hundred and eighteen thousand millions, or thereabouts. It's a handsome
sum.'

'I will have that and you too!' says Gruffanuff.

'Let us throw the crown jewels into the bargain,' gasps out Giglio.

'I will wear them by my Giglio's side!' says Gruffanuff.

'Will half, three-quarters, five-sixths, nineteen-twentieths, of my
kingdom do, Countess?' asks the trembling monarch.

'What were all Europe to me without YO