robes, the two pages whose duty it was to stand behind him, quietly drew back the throne, as he was about to seat himself, and he came down, in a most undignified heap, upon the floor, while his crown slipped off and rolled out among the courtiers.

Forgetting all about his new office, the ViceKing leaped to his feet and ran after his tormentors, chasing them round and round the council-chamber, and out upon upon the palace grounds; where, having at last succeeded in coming up with them, he knocked their heads together until they roared, and then came back, very much out of breath, and resumed his place. Several important matters were awaiting his attention, when it was suddenly discovered that the book of the law was nowhere to be found.

So the cases before him had to be dismissed until the lost volume could be recovered.

chance to advance his own fortunes, took the Vice-King aside and confidentially suggested that what he needed was a competent adviser, with full power to act.

The exasperated Vice-King was only too willing to adopt any means of getting out of his difficulties, and appointed the courtier Chief Adviser upon the spot.

He soon had cause enough to regret his decision, however, for the crafty courtier, whose name was Bounterwin, immediately took everything into his own vigorous hands, leaving the Vice-King nothing to do but sit on the throne and look wise.

When the pages started in as usual, snapping paper wads at the courtiers and each other, Bounterwin ordered them sent out to weed the royal onion beds, where, under severe taskmasters, they worked and shed tears all day long.

were laid out and games held, free to all the people.

So everybody was soon shouting the praises of Bounterwin. They did not know that every time he drew a check upon the royal treasury, to pay for these things, half of the money went into his own pockets.

When the royal treasury was empty, he began taxing the people; but, while they complained some at this, they still continued to point to his various works with pride, and to think him a very great man indeed.

The old King had now been gone so long that everybody supposed him dead; so while the iron rule of Bounterwin and his many taxes pressed heavily upon them, the people were obliged to be satisfied, though they were far from happy or contented.

One night, while the Chief Adviser was busily engaged in figuring up his profit on an installation

the more powerful courtiers, and thus made them his friends) lay tossing and worrying upon his bed, when he thought he heard a noise downstairs.

Drawing his pruning-shears from beneath his pillow, where he always kept them, he crept cautiously down, and when he discovered that the sounds he had heard were the voices of the returned King and Queen, talking over the happy surprise they would give their subjects in the morning, he was so overcome with joy that his hair, which had grown quite gray, instantly turned bright red again, and he rushed up-stairs, four steps at a time, to put on his best suit.

He determined to lose no time in acquainting the King with the exact condition of affairs; so, as soon as he was dressed, he hastened downstairs again, and knocked upon the door of the royal bedchamber.

"Come in," called the well-known voice; upon

which the Vice-King pushed open the door and advanced, with the crown in his hand, and presented it to the King.

"You appear to have taken good care of it," remarked the King, after looking it over carefully and placing it upon his head, to see if it felt natural.

After expressing the hope that both the King and Queen had enjoyed good health and had a pleasant journey, the ex-Vice-King started in and related all that had occurred during their absence, and how Bounterwin had planned to take the crown and declare himself king the very next morning.

"But he would not have been able to do that," concluded the old man, chuckling; "for I hid the crown in the piano last night, and only took it out when I saw you had returned."

After complimenting him upon his shrewdness, the King remained thoughtful for some time; then he spoke :

"Say nothing to any person whatsoever about my return," he said. "Go quietly to the houses of the royal guards and order each of them to report at the council-chamber at sunrise, well armed." When Bounterwin appeared at the palace the next morning, he was surprised and infuriated to find the guards assembled without his orders.

"What are you here for?" he demanded angrily. "To arrest you, unhappy wretch!" shouted the King, stepping from behind a curtain.

The guards immediately fell upon the culprit. and loaded him with chains, and while he was borne off, struggling and begging for mercy, and the courtiers who had been his friends stood trembling in their shoes, everybody else crowded about the King, shouting for joy at his safe re

turn.

The King's first act was to release the miserable pages from their work in the royal onion beds, and, after they had all been thoroughly bathed and supplied with new clothes, they appeared in the council-chamber, still rubbing their eyes, but very happy to get back.

Then the King took all the wealth of Bounterwin and out of it returned to every person the taxes he or she had unjustly been made to pay, putting the rest in the royal treasury.

As for Bounterwin himself, the King was quite undecided what his punishment should be; but, after inspecting some of the work that he had accomplished, he decided to spare his life. But he was stripped of his titles, and of all his rich trappings and jewels, and was then given the lowliest of all the offices in the royal palace-that of cleaning and regumming canceled postage-stamps.

IN producing a historical painting, the artist has a great many things to think of besides making a beautiful picture.

For, in addition to that, he must tell a story. He cannot narrate a succession of events as a writer can do, but he must select one single moment, and in that moment show us all that is to be represented.

Such pictures are much more complicated than those we have considered thus far. Usually many figures are introduced, and the principal ones must be actual portraits of the characters, and must suggest their whole life in pose and gesture. All the costumes must be historically correctoften a matter of great difficulty.

When an artist has selected the moment to present, and has assured himself about the accuracy

of everything concerned, which may have meant the reading of many volumes about the times and events, he may still fail unless he has caught and can show the spirit of the scene in a way to inspire the beholder.

Our moving pictures, where thousands of separate photographs passing in rapid succession give us an actual occurrence, convey much less than the painter of a legendary or historical subject tries to do, for he may give us not merely a scene, but the spirit of an age.

Many historical pictures have been painted by royal command, to perpetuate the deeds of great men or events of national life, and are more valuable to us now as records of the times than as works of art. Such are many of the huge canvases in the royal palaces of Europe.