“Ha, ha, ha—excellent,” cried the major, as he read the following answer: “because by turning round he gains a snug berth, but ceases to be free.”
“Show us another card,” said Tom, eagerly.
“Here then is a watch-box; when I turn it round, you will see the watchman comfortably sleeping at his post.”
“Very good! It is very surprising,” observed the vicar.
“Yes,” observed the major; “and to carry on your political joke, it may be said that, like most worthies who gain a post, by turning round, he sleeps over his duty.”
One epigram, accompanying a Thaumatrope card, had a reference to the recent activities of Napoleon:
Head, legs and arms, alone appear;
Observe that nobody is here:
Napoleon-like I undertake
Of nobody a king to make.