Die digitale Landesbibliothek Oberösterreich

18 
‚When the two little friends obeyed the summons 
of the king, they found him sitting at his wine 
with the seven members of his cabinet council; but 
the monarch appeared to be in a very ill humour. 
He knew that Hop-Frog was not fond of wine; for 
it excited the poor cripple almost to madness; and 
madness is no comfortable feeling. But the king 
loved his practical jokes, and took pleasure in 
forcing Hop-Frog to drink and (as the king called 
it) “to be merry”. | 
“Come here, Hop-Frog”, said he, as the jester 
and his friend entered the room; “swallow this 
bumper to the health of your absent friends, (here 
Hop-Frog sighed,) and then let us have the benefit 
of jour invention. n= 
We want characters—characters, man,—some- 
thing novel-—out of the way. We are wearied with 
this everlasting sameness. Come, drink! the wine 
will brighten your wits.” .~ | 
Hop-Frog endeavoured, as usual, to get up a 
jest in reply to these advances from the king; but 
the effort was too much. It happened to be the 
poor dwarf’s birthday, and the command to drink 
to his “absent friends‘ forced the tears to his eyes. 
Many large, bitter drops fell into the goblet as he 
took it, humbly, from the hand of the tyrant. | 
“Ah! ha! ha! ha!” roared the latter, as the dwarf 
reluctantly drained the beaker. “See what a glass 
of good wine can do! Why, your eyes are shining 
already!” SEE | 
Poor fellow! his large eyes gleamed, rather 
than shone; for the effect of wine on his excitable 
Als 
König: 
mit de 
der Mc 
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er err 
sinn, 1 
der K 
Vergn 
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seine 
Hump 
Freur 
uns d 
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etwas 
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Witz 
Ho 
11 SZ1 
Koni 
daß 
der 1 
zu t1 
groß 
demi 
sel. 
wide 
gute 
here 
A 
daß 
oF