n all the force were frantically running about the fields
with the lively monarch, while Boadicea remained by the carriage and
darned his old stockings.

At last the King grew tired, and they all came back to the road and
resumed their march. The tiresome sovereign now insisted on the Ancient
Mariner removing his burden to the rear, complaining that the
absent-minded creature would stare at him, and that he did not wish to
be gazed at or wondered at. 'Time enough for that,' said he, 'when I'm
on my throne again.' Having effected this change in the order of the
procession, they now marched on without further interruption from the
King.

Towards nightfall they drew near to the sea, on the shores of which they
hoped to spend the night. Bill being, as usual, a little in advance of
the others, was the first to descend to the sands, seated on which he
discovered, to his great astonishment, three young children weeping
bitterly, and near to them, in the same state of grief, he beheld an
old gentleman seated upon a rock. But what aroused his astonishment even
more than their extreme wretchedness, was the fact that the three
children were all exactly alike in every particular,--the same size, the
same hair, the same eyes,--in fact, there was no perceptible difference
of any kind between them. Now and again, one of the children would
endeavour to comfort the old man, and he again would attempt to perform
the like kindly office for them. Wondering what could so upset such
worthy creatures, Bill approached and besought them to confide to him
their troubles, that he might try to relieve them to the best of his
ability. Their tears, however, effectually prevented them from replying
at once to him. Giving them a little time to recover, Bill again
addressed them. 'Who are you?' said he, and they all answered between
their sobs, 'We are the Duchess of Blowdripping and her two sisters,
Mellinid and Edil.'

'Which of you,' asked Bill, 'is the Duchess?'

'That's what we don't know,' they replied. 'We only know that she is
neither Mellinid nor Edil.'

'Then who of you is Mellinid, and who Edil?' again queried the puzzled
Bill.

'That's what all the trouble's about,' they tearfully rejoined. 'All we
can tell you for certain is that neither of them is the Duchess,' and
the poor little creatures redoubled their cries.

More puzzled than ever, and quite at a loss to find any clue to their
troubles, Bill again besought them to relieve t