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thatHop-Frog was not fond of wine, for it excited the poor cripple almost tomadness; and madness is no comfortable feeling. But the king loved hispractical jokes, and took pleasure in forcing Hop-Frog to drink and (asthe king called it) ‘to be merry.’
    â€œCome here, Hop-Frog,” said he, as the jester and his friend entered theroom; “swallow this bumper to the health of your absent friends, [hereHop-Frog sighed,] and then let us have the benefit of your invention.We want characters — characters , man — something novel — out of the way. Weare wearied with this everlasting sameness. Come, drink! the wine willbrighten your wits.”
    Hop-Frog endeavored, as usual, to get up a jest in reply to theseadvances from the king; but the effort was too much. It happened tobe the poor dwarf’s birthday, and the command to drink to his ‘absentfriends’ forced the tears to his eyes. Many large, bitter drops fellinto the goblet as he took it, humbly, from the hand of the tyrant.
    â€œAh! ha! ha!” roared the latter, as the dwarf reluctantly drained thebeaker. — “See what a glass of good wine can do! Why, your eyes areshining already!”
    Poor fellow! his large eyes gleamed , rather than shone; for the effectof wine on his excitable brain was not more powerful than instantaneous.He placed the goblet nervously on the table, and looked round upon thecompany with a half — insane stare. They all seemed highly amused at thesuccess of the king’s ‘ joke .’
    â€œAnd now to business,” said the prime minister, a very fat man.
    â€œYes,” said the King; “Come lend us your assistance. Characters, my finefellow; we stand in need of characters — all of us — ha! ha! ha!” andas this was seriously meant for a joke, his laugh was chorused by theseven.
    Hop-Frog also laughed although feebly and somewhat vacantly.
    â€œCome, come,” said the king, impatiently, “have you nothing to suggest?”
    â€œI am endeavoring to think of something novel, ” replied the dwarf,abstractedly, for he was quite bewildered by the wine.
    â€œEndeavoring!” cried the tyrant, fiercely; “what do you mean by that? Ah, I perceive. You are Sulky, and want more wine. Here, drink this!”and he poured out another goblet full and offered it to the cripple, whomerely gazed at it, gasping for breath.
    â€œDrink, I say!” shouted the monster, “or by the fiends-”
    The dwarf hesitated. The king grew purple with rage. The courtierssmirked. Trippetta, pale as a corpse, advanced to the monarch’s seat,and, falling on her knees before him, implored him to spare her friend.
    The tyrant regarded her, for some moments, in evident wonder ather audacity. He seemed quite at a loss what to do or say — how mostbecomingly to express his indignation. At last, without uttering asyllable, he pushed her violently from him, and threw the contents ofthe brimming goblet in her face.
    The poor girl got up the best she could, and, not daring even to sigh,resumed her position at the foot of the table.
    There was a dead silence for about half a minute, during which thefalling of a leaf, or of a feather, might have been heard. It wasinterrupted by a low, but harsh and protracted grating sound whichseemed to come at once from every corner of the room.
    â€œWhat — what — what are you making that noise for?” demanded the king,turning furiously to the dwarf.
    The latter seemed to have recovered, in great measure, from hisintoxication, and looking fixedly but quietly into the tyrant’s face,merely ejaculated:
    â€œI — I? How could it have been me?”
    â€œThe sound appeared to come from without,” observed one of thecourtiers. “I fancy it was the parrot at the window, whetting his billupon his cage-wires.”
    â€œTrue,” replied the monarch, as if much relieved by the suggestion;“but, on the