What had become of the Emperor Beppo?
No one saw him, and no one knew what to do. Perhaps he ran out the window? Impossible, because all the windows were closed and locked from the inside. What then?
The fact was that they searched everywhere. They looked in the wardrobe, in the pantry, in the dressing-room, in the back stairs, in all the small rooms, and finally in the cellar; but it was useless. Finally, after poking here and looking there, the idea occurred to some one to glance under the bed. Would you believe it? Yes, my little readers, the Emperor was hiding under the bed, and he was sleeping like a top. What scandal! What horror!
“Sire! what are you doing there?” asked the chamberlain, taking Beppo respectfully by the ear.
“I sleep,” replied Beppo, yawning and stretching himself.
“Awake quickly! Have you no shame?”
“To tell you the truth, when I am asleep, I am not ashamed to sleep.”
“Oh! But to sleep in that place! Where, O Sire, is your imperial dignity?”
“I forgot it,” replied Beppo, who really did not know what all this dignity was they made so much fuss about. Then, calling aside the chamberlain, Beppo whispered in his ear: “Do you wish me to speak to you frankly? I believed until now that to be an emperor was the easiest trade in the world. But to-day I perceive that I was deceived. Oh, fortunate are the little monkeys that are contented to remain little monkeys all their lives! At least they can eat when they are hungry and sleep when they are sleepy, and best of all, when they sleep, no one awakens them in order to make them run to a balcony and say ‘thank you’ to a lot of people who do not want to go to bed.”
While Beppo was confiding this to the chamberlain, the heavens became as black as the top of a chimney, and the water came down in torrents. Then from under the balcony of the imperial palace there came a noise of trumpets and voices that cried: “We want the sun! We want the sun! If we do not get it, down with the Emperor!”
“My friends,” said Beppo, stepping on the balcony and speaking to the monkeys on the large square, “my friends, what do you wish?”
“We wish the sun! We wish it immediately!”
“Confide in me,” said Beppo. “When it stops raining, I will give you the sun and good weather.”
A few hours after, the rain ceased and the sun came out beautifully. But, when the monkeys perceived that the sun burnt too much, they called the trumpeters together and went again before the palace. “We wish water! We wish rain!” they shouted.
Annoyed at these words, Beppo would not appear on the balcony; but, hearing that the cries increased more and more, he put his head outside the window and said, “Do you really wish rain?”
“Yes, yes! We wish rain! If not, then down with the Emperor!”
“Wait a minute,” said Beppo. At these words the crowd clapped their hands and the band played the imperial march. A few minutes after, Beppo appeared on the balcony, crying, “There is the water; and whoever wishes more, let him go to the river.” And, saying this, he poured on their heads a pailful of water.
It is impossible to imagine the tumult that followed. The palace was invaded and taken by assault. They sought for the Emperor everywhere, but they could not find him. What was there left for them to do? Not finding the Emperor, the crowd contented itself with beating the chamberlain. It is always thus! In the things of this world the just suffer for the unjust.
Meanwhile Beppo escaped by a secret staircase that led to the back of the palace. When he found himself in the woods and alone, he ran as if he had wings on his feet. And, after having run two whole days, he found among the trees a little house without windows. At the door of this house was seated a beautiful rabbit that had blue fur. Seeing Beppo, the rabbit jumped to its feet, and, saluting with its right paw most politely, made a profound bow.
“What makes you do all that?” asked Beppo.
“I was just waiting, Your Highness.”
“Who is this Your Highness?”
“You, Sire.”
“I! I understand, I understand! Would you have by chance a little something to give me to eat and a place where I can sleep?”
“Deign to enter, and you will find both.”
As it is easy to imagine, Beppo accepted the invitation immediately; and scarcely had he placed his foot on the threshold when he saw a table all set and a nice mattress on the ground near-by. Without saying a word, he sat down immediately at the table, and, after having devoured in a moment a plate of figs and apricots, he sighed: “I have suffered so much! My life has been an Iliad.”
“What do you mean by an Iliad?”
“I don’t know and I don’t care to know. I am like some boys. I repeat what I hear men say, because it sounds big.”
“That is a very bad habit.”
“Is that so? I will try to correct it.” Then he added, “If you only knew all of my misfortunes!”
“I know them.”
“How do you know them?” asked Beppo, greatly surprised.
“I have read them in the ‘Babies’ daily Papers.’ Excuse my curiosity, Mr. Beppo; but have you not made a promise to Alfred that you would go with him around the world?”
“I will explain. I made him a promise—and I did not make him a promise.”
“What does that mean?”
“I will explain more clearly. You must know that I was tempted to make that promise—do you know by what? By my throat.”
“That is?”
“Mr. Alfred, in order to entice me, ordered such beautiful fruit to be carried on the table that”—
“I understand, I understand,” said the rabbit, laughing. “You have done what little boys do. In order to obtain from their papas and their mammas some dainty, they promise to be good, to study, and to gain honors at school—and then? And then scarcely have they obtained the dainties when they quickly forget the promise they made. Is that not true?”
“I believe, my dear friend, you have guessed the truth.”
“Do you wish to know, Mr. Beppo, what my grandmother used to say? My grandmother always said: ‘When one promises a thing, it is necessary to keep it. Those who do not keep their promise do not deserve to be respected by others, neither helped by fortune.’ Do you understand? Good-day, Mr. Beppo.”
And the rabbit, after saying these words, ran away like lightning.