cross the study, I
discovered that the colours in the picture had all become bright, and
were working one into the other in the most remarkable way, red
running into green, and blue into yellow, while a little patch of
black in the centre of the picture was whirling round and round in
quite a distracting manner. What could it all mean? I stared and
wondered, till, out of the confusion, there gradually grew shapes
which bore some resemblance to human beings, and, presently, I could
recognize quite distinctly, first a young man in knee breeches,
smiling in a particularly self-satisfied way, and escorting a large
fish, who was walking upright, with slippers on his tail, and who
wore a waistcoat and necktie. Then an amiable-looking old gentleman,
carrying a wand, who was followed by a curious little person, wearing
a crown and carrying an orb and sceptre. A particularly stiff and
wooden-looking soldier stood at the back of this strange group. Judge
of my amazement when, quite as a matter of course, the whole party
deliberately stepped out of the picture into the room, and, before I
could realize what had happened, the old gentleman with the wand came
forward with a flourish and an elaborate bow, and announced:

"A-hem! his Majesty the Wallypug of Why and suite."

[Illustration: WITH SLIPPERS ON HIS TAIL]

I was so astonished that for the moment I could not think what to say,
but at last I managed to stammer, as I made a low bow to the
Wallypug:

"I am delighted to make your Majesty's acquaintance."

The Wallypug smiled very affably, and held out his hand.

"I have come up for the Jubilee, you know," he said.

"_We've_ come up, you mean to say, Wallypug," corrected the old
gentleman with the wand, frowning somewhat severely. "I am the
Wallypug's professional adviser," he continued. "I am called the
Doctor-in-Law--allow me to introduce the rest of our party. This," he
went on, bringing the young man with the self-satisfied smile forward,
"is the Jubilee Rhymester from Zum; he hopes to become a minor poet in
time. And this," indicating the wooden-looking soldier, "is Sergeant
One-and-Nine, also from Zum." Here the Doctor-in-Law took me aside and
whispered in my ear, "Slightly cracked, crossed in love; speaks very
peculiarly; capital chap though." Then crossing to where the Fish was
standing, he said, "And this is A. Fish, Esq., the celebrated lecturer
on the 'Whichness of the What as compared with the Thatness of the