The Missing Prince

“Oh! immensely, thanks,” replied Boy; “but I was beginning to wonder how I should get home again. Of course you can take me back in ‘the Moon, can’t you?”

“Oh yes, if you like,” said Pierrot, “but we are starting soon and if you are coming with us you had better make your adieu to the Prince and Princess at once.”

Boy arranged to meet Pierrot in a few moments by the Bandstand and then hurried off to say good-bye to his friends.

“Oh! must you go?” cried the Prince. “I’m so sorry. I wanted to ask you such a lot of questions about the government of the country that you come from, with a view to adopting somewhat the same system here; but, of course, if you must go you must. Can’t you tell me just a little bit about it before you go, though?”

“Well, Your Highness,” said Boy, “I really don’t know much about Politics, but you see we have a lot of gentlemen in England who are called Members of Parliament who are elected from all parts of the country, and they sit every day and talk about the affairs of the nation. They have such a lot to talk about that sometimes they have to sit there all night, and bring sandwiches and things in their pockets to eat, or they would starve. Ladies are invited to these meetings, and sit up in the gallery to prevent the Liberals from quarrelling with the Conservatives, because of course it would be very rude to quarrel before ladies, wouldn’t it?”

“But what are Liberals and Conservatives, and what do they want to quarrel for?” asked the Prince.

“Oh! I don’t know exactly,” said Boy; “but they take sides in Parliament, you know, and one side wants to keep everything the same as it has been for hundreds of years, and the other side wants to alter everything – and they are always squabbling about this.”

“But why doesn’t the King stop it?” asked the Prince.

“Oh! our Kings and Queens never meddle with Politics; they only sign things, and confer titles, and hold Drawing Rooms, and open Hospitals, and Convalescent Homes, and Orphanages, and that sort of thing. They let the Members of Parliament settle all the other matters themselves. I’m afraid I haven’t made it very clear, but I must be off now, Your Highness,” and after shaking hands with the Prince and Princess, Boy hurried back to the Bandstand, where he found Pierrot and the rest of the Troupe waiting for him in the Moon.

The Prince’s guests were all curiously crowding around them, and as they started they gave a hearty cheer while the Moon rose slowly up into the air and the Pierrot Troupe struck up a lively tune on their banjoes.

Before they had gone very far, however, Boy could see that the Busybody Extraordinary and several of the other guests were hastily fastening on their wings.

“Surely they are not going to try to fly up here!” he cried.

They were, though, and in a very few moments he could see that about forty or fifty of the guests were flying rapidly towards them.

“Good gracious!” cried Boy, “they can never all get in here; we shall be upset. Go back!” he shouted, leaning over the Moon, “go back!”

But nearer and nearer they flew, till presently the Lord High Adjudicator’s head appeared at the side of the Moon, then the Advertiser General, and immediately afterwards six or seven others were scrambling over the side.

“Pray be careful. You can’t possibly all get in,” cried Boy; “we shall certainly be overbalanced;” but no one heeded him, and more and more people came tumbling in till, just as Boy had feared, the Moon lurched to one side, and then when they all rushed to the other, turned completely upside down, and out they all tumbled. Boy screamed and shut his eyes in his fright as he felt himself falling down and down and down, till crash – bang! – crash! and Boy found himself struggling on his back; he opened his eyes, and – would you believe it? – he was in his little strange bed at Scarboro’, the sun was streaming through the window and the servant was knocking at the door and saying, “Your shaving water, sir,” for he had mistaken Boy’s room for his Uncle’s.

“Well, I can’t believe it has all been a dream,” he thought as he got up and dressed himself. “I shall certainly ask Pierrot about it when I see him on the sands.”

But when later on in the morning he did see Pierrot, that amusing gentleman declared he had never been to Zum in his life, and asked Boy where it was, which was such a puzzling question that Boy has never been able to answer it to this day.

THE END