Mythical Beasties Isaac Asimov

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this table, and bring in the bill of fare."
With these words, the officer sat down suddenly in the
Prince's lap, as if he did not see him at all. He was a heavy
man, and the Prince, enraged at the insult, pushed him away
and jumped to his feet. As he did so, his cap dropped off.
The officer fell on his knees at once, crying: "Pardon, my
Prince, pardon! I never saw you!"
This was more than the Prince could be expected to believe.
52 Andrew Long
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"Nonsense! Count Frederick von Matterhom," he said,
"you must be intoxicated. Sir! you have insulted your Prince
and your superior officer. Consider yourself under arrest!
You shall be sent to a prison tomorrow!"
On this, the poor officer appealed piteously to everybody
in the tavern. They all declared that they had not seen the
Prince, nor even had an idea that he was doing them the
honour of being in the neighbourhood of their town.
More and more offended, and convinced that there was a
conspiracy to annoy and insult him, the Prince shouted for the
landlord, called for his bill, threw down his three pieces of
gold without asking for change, and went into the street.
"It is a disgraceful conspiracy," he said. "The King shall
answer for this! I shall write to the newspapers at once!"
He was not put in a better temper by me way in which
people hustled him in the street. They ran against him exactly
as if they did not see him, and then staggered back in the
greatest surprise, looking in every direction for me person
they had jostled. In one of these encounters, the Prince
pushed so hard against a poor old beggar woman that she fell
down. As he was usually most kind and polite, he pulled off
his cap to beg her pardon, when, behold, the beggar woman
gave one dreadful scream, and fainted! A crowd was collect-
ing, and the Prince, forgetting that he had thrown down all
his money in the tavern, pulled out his purse. Then he
remembered what he had done, and expected to find it empty;
but, lo, there were three pieces of gold in it! Overcome with
surprise, he thrust the money into the woman's hand, and put
on his cap again. In a moment the crowd, which had been
staring at him, rushed away in every direction, with cries of
terror, declaring that there was a magician in the town, and a
fellow who coutd appear and disappear at pleasure!
By this time, you or I, or anyone who was not so ex-
tremely clever as Prince Prigio, would have understood what
was me matter. He had put on, without knowing it, not only
the seven-league boots, but the cap of darkness, and had
taken Fortunatus's purse, which could never be empty, how-
ever often you took all the money out. All those and many
other delightful wares the fairies had given him at his chris-
PR/NCE PRIGIO 53
tening, and the Prince had found them in the dark garret. But
the Prince was so extremely wise, and learned, and scientific,
that he did not believe in fairies nor in fairy gifts.
"It is indigestion," he said to himself- "Those sausages
were not of the best; and that Burgundy was extremely strong.
Things are not as they appear."
Here, as he was arguing with himself, he was nearly run
over by a splendid carriage and six, the driver of which never
took the slightest notice of him. Annoyed at this, the Prince
leaped up behind, threw down the two footmen, who made
no resistance, and so was carried to the door of a magnificent
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palace. He was determined to challenge the gentleman who
was in the carriage; but noticing that he had a very beautiful
young lady with him, whom he had never seen before, he
followed them into the house, not wishing to alarm the girl,
and meaning to speak to me gentleman when he found him
alone.
A great ball was going on; but, as usual, nobody took [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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