The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1868-03-16
ple funds, and she would bring them with

4 Z. et4
so the dey was absolutely fixed, and
| our n1ans carefully laid. The only hour
at which the princess had an opportunity
for escane was that when we usually COM
municated we must therefore take the
evtra risk of q midday flight, and speedy
discovery and pursuit. We were to make
onr WOW IN foot to o seaport town some
eeven miles off, and take ship from
thence TO Hamburg, where we were TO DC
..,orr;od and travel as fast as we could TO
g. petersburg. When all was arranged,
: coit considerable conjunction on reflect
;.n o'1 mon the state of furry into which my
.ntor would be thown by my mysterious
d;sannearance, and the anxiety of my pa
rants on first hearing of it. But how short
would be their anxiety, for | would Wrlte
and set their minds at rest the moment we
were safe in foreign land and what
pride and pleasure would be theirs When
they learned that son was prince, with
forests and mine, and any number OF seris'
not to mention the most lovely princess
that ever existed out ,of the ARABIAN
Nights
Would marrying q princess make me
prince, though? l was not certain aDout
that. But what is in o pamo The sollo
advantages remains!
And so, one fine afternoon, /, the man
of the world, the realistic, fusty old law
yer now addressing you,. positively climb
ed to the top Of the wall, and let down
rope ladder Of my own manufacture; and
when my princess had climbed up to IT.,
caught her in my arms, seated her beside
me, and began arranging The rope-ladder
for her descent on the other side. Hur-
ried and excited as was, / yet perceived
that the princess had not exaggerated the
value of her jewels. She had on dla-
mond earrings, of such size that they
dangled to her shoulders long pendants
of shape and dimensions such as l had
never seen in precious stones before in
deed, if / had not known, should have
taken them for the glass ornaments OF
chandelier.
"My knight! my deliverer!" exclaim-
ed the princess" What 60 this is, isn't
it ?" she added, presently, in quite diff
ferent tone and then, springing up and
down in a childish fashion, she commenced
singing:
"Humpy- dumpy sat on wall:
Humpy -dumpy had great fall"
"Hallo, there! what are you after %
shouted hoarse voice from the garden;
and on looking in that direction, l saw two
servants running up, and portly gentle
man in their rear.
"Here is the rope; let yourself down;
we are discovered !" cried to my COM
panion.
"Humpy-dumpy sat on WALL" she
sang, Selling ME by the shoulders.
"It's no time for play, dearest" 1 re-
monstrated; "but be quick, and we may
yet give them the Slip"
"Humpy-dumpy had great fall" she
continued to sing; and to illustrate her
words, she gave me sudden push, and
oyer 7 went into the garden, alighting-
not on my feet.
"Run and fetch the ladder" said the
gentleman to his servants. "That is q
nice airy seat you have chosen, dear Miss
Seymour. May l be permitted to join
you 7"
'Csrtainly, doctor. 1t seems this gen
tleman could not keep his place"
" All the kings horses and all the kings men
Gould not pick Humpy -dumpy up again."
And the princess pointed to- me as she
sang the words; and then she laughed so
heartily that she nearly rolled oflthe wall
and then she crowed-I do not mean like
a baby, but like cock. And then the
ladder came, and sho was got away into
the house.
"And now, sir" said the doctor to me,
"what have you got to say, that | should
not give you into custody?'
1 wonder whether looked like fool.
IF my features are capable Of assuming
such an expression, should imagine that
they seized that opportunity Of doing so.
I made q clean breast of it, giving my
name and address; and the doctor was
very good -natured about the affair. But
there was no doubt about my having been
| on the point of running off with very
dangerous lunatic.