ffice for tickets of admission
and many of them such as had not made their appearance in public for
many long years past. Thus, when the feast-day came, bed-ridden men and
women arrived at the palace dressed out in silks and satins; gouty men
hobbled in without their crutches; and multitudes who had long been
incapacitated from doing anything but try the patience of their friends
and indulge their own whims, made no difficulty of appearing among the
guests. And it was strange, too, to see at the king's table delicate
ladies and chronic invalids, who were never met with at places of
worship or benevolent meetings, because the cold or the heat, or their
nerves or their lungs made it a duty for them to be keepers at home.
There were also present about two hundred spoilt children, whose mothers
considered them to be "dear unselfish little darlings," and about an
equal number of young ladies and young gentlemen, whose chief delight
had consisted in spending their fathers' money, and studying their own
sweet persons in the looking-glass.

Of course, the company behaved with due decorum at the banquet,
especially as the king did them the honour of sitting down to table with
them, the only exception being on the part of the spoilt children, whom
not even the presence of royalty itself could restrain from personal
encounters over the more attractive-looking dishes.

The banquet over, the king rose and thus addressed his astonished
guests:--

"I have ascertained from my lord chancellor, whose secretary took down
the names and addresses of you all when you applied for your tickets,
that he has made careful inquiry into your several characters, and finds
that you all belong to a class of persons who greatly trouble our city.
You have accepted my invitation professedly as unselfish people, but
your estimate of yourselves is the very reverse of that which is held by
those who know you best. I have therefore resolved, for the good of the
community generally, to transport the whole of you, for a period of six
months, to the uninhabited island of Comoro, situate in the midst of the
great lake, where you will find ample means for living in health, peace,
and comfort, provided you are all and each willing to lay aside your
selfishness, and to find your happiness in living for the good of
others. And I trust that at the end of the six months, when steamers
shall call for you at Comoro, you may all be spared to return to your
homes i