that, in the course of a very little time they were certain, of
course, to reveal (as was only natural) some slight weakness, and I ask
you, good comrades all, which of us is without 'em? This overcarefulness
on the part of my good parents was to be the cause of the disaster that
was soon entirely to change the trend of my life.

'It came about in this way. One of the discharged nurses, indignant at
what, with some show of reason, she considered an injustice to herself
(she had been dismissed for curling my hair only a little to the right
instead of quite to the right), resolved to revenge herself on her late
master and mistress, in such a manner as should be most likely to leave
them wretched for the remainder of their lives. Knowing the
overextravagance of their affection for me, she cruelly determined to
strike them in this, their weakest spot. One dark night, after cleverly
evading the ever-wakeful guards, she crept into my father's palace.
Stealing up the main staircase without attracting observation, she
arrived at the now empty throne-room, which she stealthily traversed,
keeping all the while close to the wall. She then passed through the
little door at the left of the grand throne and found herself in the
billiard-room. She had not, however, taken two steps therein when a
fearful panic seized her, for what should she behold but the stout form
of my rare old dad the emperor leaning over the table, apparently in the
act of making a brilliant stroke. A few seconds' consideration, however,
served to convince the vengeful creature that he was fast asleep.
Gnashing her teeth at the old gentleman, she hurried across the room and
entered the library, in which my good mother was seated, reading. But so
absorbed was the good lady in her book that she took no notice whatever
of the agile intruder, as she entered by one door and swiftly left by
the other. She now successively passed through the state ball-room, the
music-room, the third best drawing-room, the second best ball-room, and
the state bed-room, and mounting the back stairs, came to the suite of
rooms occupied by the nurses, and eventually reached the nurses'
dining-hall, into which my nursery led, without having excited any one's
observation.

'Opening my door very quietly, she peeped in. All was dark inside except
for the glimmer of a night-light which shone on the frilling of my
cradle and on the form of the nurse then in office, who had fallen
asleep over he