Page:Bill the minder.djvu/42

 THE KING OF TROY

HE CLIMBED THE RICK

'Well, here goes then.' And he commenced his tale in the following way:—

'I am that King of Troy who ruled over his subjects with such wisdom and justice that the greatest happiness prevailed amongst them!'

'We've heard that before,' murmured Chad, but ignoring the interruption, the King of Troy continued his story:—

'Safely protected from baseness of every description, from robbery, from the ill effects of envy, and from unworthy tricksters of every colour, by the stern, yet just rule under which they happily lived, the Trojans throve and pursued their various trades with unvarying success. All amassed a considerable fortune, and as their wealth increased, so did their pride in the beloved city of their birth. All contributed most willingly to the upkeep of their sovereign, and the ever-increasing state which I was expected to 18