whereupon John turned round to the rest of the company, and
beckoned with his hand.

Instantly William Rufus, Henry the First, Stephen, Matilda, Henry the
Second, and Richard Coeur de Lion, came forward. William the Second
turned me over with his foot, and stooped down to look at my face.

"That's him!" said he.

"That's he, you mean," said Henry Beauclerk.

"I mean nothing of the kind," said Rufus. "I mean him. So now, old
lampreys!"

"They were _not_ lampreys," said Henry sulkily; "they were oysters."

"Yes, yes," said Matilda. "But what business has _he_ here?"

"Him?" said Rufus doggedly.

"You'd better ask him," said Stephen, with a sneer. "The chances are
he'll want to know what business _you_ have here."

"I'm as much an empress as you," said Matilda, spitefully.

"I know that; which means you're no empress at all."

"Look here," said Henry the Second, "don't you cheek me, Steevie. She
let you have it pretty hot, you know."

"Hot? I like that," said Stephen. "It was cold enough that day she
made tracks in the snow. I've had rheumatism ever since."

"By the way," said Henry the Second, "I can put you up to a capital cure
for rheumatism. Tried it myself. It was after that _little_ affair
about Beckett, you know. I was a good deal run down; and I got a fellow
to touch me up on the shoulder with a cat. You've no notion how it
picks a fellow up. Quite my own notion, too. Come, and I'll give you a
dose."

"Don't mind the governor." said Richard; "he will have his joke. Did
you ever read the _Talisman_, Tilly?--jolly story!--all about yours
truly. You can get it for 4 pence ha'penny. I say, what's to be done
with this chap, Johnny? He's a little like Arthur of Brittany, isn't
he? Suppose, just to keep your hand in--"

Here John turned very red, and got into a towering rage, and threatened
to tear up the Magna Charta to spite them all. Whereat they all
laughed.

All this time I lay, bewildered and speechless, on the floor. It was a
long time before they could bring their minds to decide what was to be
done with me; and, indeed, I began half to hope they had forgotten me in
their own squabbles, when a great burly form pushed his way into the
group, and asked what all the noise was about.

"As if I haven't noise enough in my place with all my six wives talking
at the same time," said he, "without your row. What is it? Can't you
settle it and be done?"

William Rufus turned me