"What did you do with last month's?" asked the doctor, but before she could reply one of the four and twenty blackbirds dropped a gold piece in his hand. I guess he felt dreadfully ashamed to think that one of his brothers had pinched a pretty girl's nose.
A MISCOUNT
THE King was in his counting-house,
Counting out his money;
The Queen was in the parlor,
Eating bread and honey.
And now let us see where little Puss, Junior, was. Oh yes, I remember now. He was in the garden of the Blackbird-pie Castle, where the poor maid's nose had been nipped by a naughty, bad blackbird. Well, after the good Doctor had gone, the old retainer took Puss to see the King, who was so busy counting his money that he didn't even look up.
"Your Worship," began the retainer.
"What do you want?" asked the King, angrily. "I've just counted up to three trillion two hundred and thirty-seven billion, nine hundred and forty-eight million, seven hundred and fifteen thousand, four hundred and—and—now you've gone and made me miss, and I'll have to count all over again."
"Start off at four hundred. A few sovereigns less won't matter to a king," said little Puss, Junior.
"I'm not so sure about that," replied His Majesty, taking off his crown and scratching his head. "One likes to be right as well as King!"