Alicia, Princess. HOLIDAY ROMANCE INDEX TO CHARACTERS The heroine of Miss Alice Rainbird's romance; eldest child of King Watkins the First, and goddaughter of the good fairy Grandmarina, who gives her a magic fish-bone, which can only be used once, but which is warranted to bring her, that once, whatever she wishes for, provided she wishes for it at the right time. The princess is a notable housewife, and is also a very motherly girl, taking sole charge of her eighteen brothers and sisters. She has great good sense, and refrains from using her magic present until some great exigency shall arise. But when, at last, her father informs her that his money is all gone, and that he has no means of getting any more, though he has tried very hard, and has tried all ways, she thinks the right time must have come for testing the virtue of her godmother's gift, and she therefore wishes it were quarter-day; and immediately it is quarter-day, and the king's quarter's salary comes rattling down the chimney. Moreover, her godmother appears, changes the coarse attire of the princess into the splendid raiment of a bride, and whisks her off to church, where she is married to Prince Certainpersonio, after which there is a magnificent wedding feast. When Grandmarina had drunk her love to the young couple, and Prince Certainpersonio had made a speech, and everybody had cried, "Hip, hip, hip, hurrah!" Grandmarina announced to the king and queen, that, in future, there would be eight quarterdays in every year, except in leap year, when there would be ten. She then turned to Certainpersonio and Alicia, and said, “My dears, you will have thirty-five children, and they will all be good and beautiful. Seventeen of your children will be boys, and eighteen will be girls. The hair of the whole of your children will curl naturally. They will never have the measles, and will have recovered from the whooping-cough before being born." Alicumpaine, Mrs. One of the characters in Miss Nettie Ashford's romance; a little friend of Mr. and Mrs. Orange, whom she invites to "a small juvenile party" of grown-up people. Ashford, Miss Nettie. A child of seven; pretended bride of William Tinkling, Esquire (aged eight), and author of a romance, the scene of which is laid in "a most delightful country to live in," where "the grown-up people are obliged to obey the children, and are never allowed to sit up to supper, except on their birthdays." Black, Mrs. One of Mrs. Lemon's pupils in Miss Nettie Ashford's romance. She is a grown-up child, who is always at play, or gadding about and spoiling her clothes, besides being "as pert and as flouncing a minx as ever you met with in all your days." Boldheart, Captain. Hero of Master Robin Redforth's romance. He is master of the schooner Beauty, and greatly distinguishes himself by various valiant exploits, notably his capture of The Scorpion, commanded by an old enemy, the Latin-grammar master, whom he turns adrift in an open boat, with two oars, a compass, a bottle of rum, a small cask of water, a piece of pork, a bag of biscuit, and a Latin grammar. He afterwards finds him on a lonely island, and rescues him from the hands of the natives, who are cannibals; but, when he subsequently discovers him plotting to give him up to the master of another vessel (The Family), he incontinently hangs the traitor at the yard-arm. Boozey, William. One of the crew of The Beauty, rescued from drowning by Captain Boldheart, and ever afterwards his devoted friend. Brown. A vicious (grown-up) boy, greedy, and troubled with the gout, in Miss Nettie Ashford's romance. Certainpersonio, Prince. A young gentleman who becomes the husband of the Princess Alicia. Drowvey, Miss. A schoolmistress in partnership with Miss Grimmer. The opinion of their pupils is divided as to "which is the greatest beast." Grandmarina, Fairy. Godmother of the Princess Alicia. Latin-Grammar Master, The. An old teacher and enemy of Captain Boldheart. See BOLDHEArt. "a Lemon, Mrs. The proprietress of a Preparatory School for grownup pupils, who figures in Miss Nettie Ashford's romance. Orange, Mr. James. The "husband" of Mrs. Orange. Orange, Mrs. A character in Miss Nettie Ashford's romance; truly sweet young creature," who has the misfortune to be sadly plagued by a numerous family of grown-up "children," including two parents, two intimate friends of theirs, one godfather, two godmothers, and an aunt. Peggy. Lord-chamberlain at the court of King Watkins the First, in Miss Alice Rainbird's romance. Pickles. A fishmonger in the same story. Rainbird, Alice. The "bride" of Robin Redforth, and the author of the romance of which the Princess Alicia is the heroine. Redforth, Lieutenant-Colonel Robin. Cousin to William Tinkling, Esquire. He is a young gentleman aged nine, who assumes the part of a pirate, and affects to be peculiarly lawless and bloodthirsty. The romance which contains the story of Captain Boldheart is from his pen. Tinkling, William, Esquire. Author of the introductory portion of the romance, and editor of the other portions. He is eight years old; and to him Miss Nettie Ashford is "married" in the right-hand closet in the corner of the dancing-school where they first met, with a ring (a green one) from Wilkingwater's toyshop. His bride, and the bride of his friend, Lieutenant-Colonel Robin Redforth, being in captivity at the school of Drowvey and Grimmer, the two young gentlemen resolve to cut them out on a Wednesday when walking two and two. The plan fails, however; and Tinkling's bride brands him as a coward. He demands a court-martial, which is granted and assembles; the Emperor of France, the President of the United States, and a certain admiral being among the members of it. The verdict of "not guilty" is on the point of being rendered, when an unlooked-for event disturbs the general rejoicing. This is no other than the Emperor of France's aunt catching hold of his hair. The proceedings abruptly terminate, and the court tumultuously dissolves. Tom. Cousin to Captain Boldheart; a boy remarkable for his cheekiness and unmannerliness. Watkins the First, King. A character in Miss Alice Rainbird's romance; the manliest of his sex, and husband of a queen who is the loveliest of hers. They had nineteen children, and were always having more. Seventeen of these children took care of the baby; and Alicia, the eldest, took care of them all. Their ages varied from seven years to seven months. White. A pale bald child (a grown-up one) with red whiskers, who is a pupil in Mrs. Lemon's Preparatory School. PRINCE BULL: A FAIRY TALE Bear, Prince. An enemy of Prince Bull; intended as a personification of Russia. Bull, Prince. A powerful prince, married to a lovely princess named Fair Freedom, who brought him a large fortune, and has borne him an immense number of children. He had gone through a great deal of fighting, in his time, about all sorts of things, including nothing; but had gradually settled down to be a steady, peaceable good-natured, corpulent, rather sleepy prince. Under this name the English Government is satirized, with especial reference to its bungling, inefficient prosecution of the Crimean war, and its obstinate adherence, under all circumstances, to mere official routine and formality. Tape. A malicious old beldame; godmother to Prince Bull. She was a fairy, this Tape, and was a bright red all over. She was disgustingly prim and formal, and could never bend herself a hair's breadth, this way or that way, out of her naturally crooked shape. But she was very potent in her wicked art. She could stop the fastest thing in the world, change the strongest thing into the weakest, and the most useful into the most useless. To do this she had only to put her cold hand upon it, and repeat her own name, Tape. Then it withered away. |