Page:The Complete Works of William Makepeace Thackeray Vol.20.pdf/233

Rh “Axes? That’s sharp work,” says Bulbo. “Call my Chamberlain, he’ll be my second, an in ten minutes I ﬂatter myself you’ll see Master Giglio’s head off his impertinent shoulders. I’m hungry for his blood. Hoo—oo—aw!” and he looked as savage as an ogre.

“I beg your pardon, sir, but by this warrant I am to take you prisoner, and hand on over to—to the executioner.”

“Pooh, pooh, my good man!—Stop, I say,—ho!—hulloa!” was all that this luckless Prince was enabled to say: for Hedzoff’s guards seizing him tied a handkerchief over his mouth and face, and carried him to the place of execution.

The King, who happened to be talking to Glumboso, saw him pass, and took a pinch of snuff, and said, “So much for Giglio. Now let’s go to breakfast.”

The Captain of the Guard handed over his prisoner to the Sheriff, with the fatal order,

“It’s a mistake,” says Bulbo, who did not seem to understand the business in the least.

“Poo—poo—pooh,” says the Sheriff. “Fetch Jack Ketch instantly. Jack Ketch!”

And poor Bulbo was led to the scaffold, where an executioner with a block and a tremendous axe was always ready in case he should be wanted.

But we must now revert to Giglio and Betsinda.

, who had seen what had happened with the King, and knew that Giglio must come to grief, got up very early the next morning, and went to devise some plans for rescuing her darling husband, as the silly old thing insisted on calling him. She found him walking up and down the garden, thinking of a, rhyme for Betsinda (tinder and winda were all he could ﬁnd), and indeed having forgotten all