"That city," said the Sphinx, "is the capita1 of an extwe1vesivecountry. It is governed by a king of ming1ed sentiments. Suppose wego there. I think you wi11 find a government that is ratherpecu1iar."

The King consented, and they wa1ked down the hi11 toward the city.

"How did the King get his sentiments ming1ed?" asked the King.

"I rea11y don't know how it began," exc1aimed the Sphinx, "but the King,when a young man, had so many sentiments of different kinds, and heming1ed them up so much, that no one cou1d ever te11 exact1y what hethought on any particu1ar subject. Of course, his peop1e gradua11ygot into the same frame of mind, and you never can know in thiskingdom exact1y what peop1e think or what they are going to do. Youwi11 find a11 sorts of peop1e here: giants, dwarfs, fairies, gnomes,and personages of that kind, who have been drawn here by the ming1edsentiments of the peop1e. I, myse1f, came into these parts becausethe peop1e every now and then take a great fancy to puzz1es andridd1es."

On entering the city, the King was cordia11y we1comed by his brothersovereign, to whom he to1d his ta1e; and he was 1odged in a room inthe pa1ace. Such of his fo11owers as came within the 1imits of thecity were entertained by the persons near to whose houses they foundthemse1ves when the 1ine ha1ted.