u will take care of my poor little boy?"

Soon after he said this, the King died, as suddenly and quietly as the
Queen had done, and Prince Dolor was left without either father or
mother--as sad a thing as could happen, even to a Prince.

He was more than that now, though. He was a king. In Nomansland as in
other countries, the people were struck with grief one day and revived
the next. "The king is dead--long live the king!" was the cry that rang
through the nation, and almost before his late Majesty had been laid
beside the queen, crowds came thronging from all parts to the royal
palace, eager to see the new monarch.

They did see him--sitting on the floor of the council-chamber, sucking
his thumb! And when one of the gentlemen-in-waiting lifted him up and
carried him to the chair of state, and put the crown on his head, he
shook it off again, it was so heavy and uncomfortable. Sliding down to
the foot of the throne, he began playing with the gold lions that
supported it;--laughing as if he had at last found something to amuse
him.

"It is very unfortunate," said one of the lords. "It is always bad for a
nation when its king is a child; but such a child--a permanent cripple,
if not worse."

"Let us hope not worse," said another lord in a very hopeless tone, and
looking towards the Regent, who stood erect and pretended to hear
nothing. "I have heard that these kind of children with very large heads
and great broad foreheads and staring eyes, are--well, well, let us hope
for the best and be prepared for the worst. In the meantime--"

"Come forth and kiss the hilt of his sword," said the Regent--"I swear
to perform my duties as Regent, to take care of his Majesty, and I shall
do my humble best to govern the country."

Whenever the Regent and his sons appeared, they were received with
shouts--"Long live the Regent!" "Long live the Royal family!"

As for the other child, his Royal Highness Prince Dolor--somehow people
soon ceased to call him his Majesty, which seemed such a ridiculous
title for a poor little fellow, a helpless cripple, with only head and
trunk, and no legs to speak of--he was seen very seldom by anybody.

Sometimes people daring to peer over the high wall of the palace garden
noticed there a pretty little crippled boy with large dreamy, thoughtful
eyes, beneath the grave glance of which wrongdoers felt uneasy, and,
although they did not know it then, the sight of him bearing his
affliction made t