e poisoner?"

"I have not yet been fully informed, my lord," said the jailer,
fearful that he should lose a prisoner; "but this is his first
offence, and his grandmother, who did not die, has testified to his
general good character."

"Very well," said the Potentate; "but if he ever does it again, let
him be executed; and, by the way, I should like to see the
prisoners."

Thereupon the jailer conducted the Potentate along the corridors, and
let him look through the holes in the doors at the prisoners within.

"What is this little girl in for?" he asked.

The jailer looked at the number over the door, and then at his
report.

"Piracy," he answered.

"A strange offence for such a child," said the Potentate.

"They often begin that sort of thing very early in life," said the
jailer.

"And this fine gentleman," said the Potentate, looking in at the
Prince, "what did he do?"

The jailer glanced at the number, and the report.

"Robbed hen-roosts," he said.

"He must have done a good deal of it to afford to dress so well,"
said the Potentate, passing on, and looking into other cells. "It
seems to me that many of your prisoners are very young."

"It is best to take them young, my lord," said the jailer. "They are
very hard to catch when they grow up."

The Potentate then looked in at the Jolly-cum-pop, and asked what was
his offence.

"Conspiracy," was the answer.

"And where are the other conspirators?"

"There was only one," said the jailer.

Number Seventeen was the oldest of the courtiers.

"He appears to be an elderly man to have a grandmother," said the
Potentate. "She must be very aged, and that makes it all the worse
for him. I think he should be executed."

"Oh, no, my lord," cried the jailor. "I am assured that his crime was
quite unintentional."

"Then he should be set free," said the Potentate.

"I mean to say," said the jailer, "that it was just enough
intentional to cause him to be imprisoned here for a long time, but
not enough to deserve execution."

"Very well," said the Potentate, turning to leave; "take good care of
your prisoners, and send me a report every month."

"That will I do, my lord," said the jailer, bowing very low.

The Prince and his party had been very much surprised and incensed
when they found that they could not get out of their rooms, and they
had kicked and banged and shouted until they were tired, but the
jailer had informed them that they were to be conf