Tutti's tears frightened the Three Fat Men even more than the words spoken by Prospero the Gunsmith.
The boy was clenching his fists, waving his arms, and stamping his feet.
He was really having a tantrum.
And no one knew why.
His tutors peeped out from behind the columns, too frightened to come into the hall.
These teachers, dressed all in black with black wigs on their heads, looked like the soot-covered chimneys of oil lamps.
After a while, when the boy had calmed down a bit, he told them what had happened.
"My doll, my wonderful doll is broken!
They spoiled my doll!
The Guards stuck their swords into my doll!"
And he began to sob again.
He rubbed his eyes with his fists and smeared the tears all over his face.
"What?!" the Fat Men roared.
"What?!"
"The Guards?!"
"They stuck their swords?"
"Into the doll that belongs to Tutti the Heir?"
And everyone in the hall said softly, as if heaving a sigh all together :
"That's impossible!"
The State Councillor groaned.
The nervous miller fainted again, but came back to his senses in a flash as the Fat Men shouted.
"Stop the party!
Postpone all business!
Summon the Council!
All the officials!
All the judges!
All the ministers!
All the executioners!
Today's executions are postponed!
There are traitors in the Palace!"
There was a great commotion.
A minute later Palace messengers were galloping away in all directions.
Five minutes later judges, councillors and executioners were galloping towards the Palace from all sides.
The crowd that was waiting for the executions to begin on Court Square had to go back to their homes.
Town-criers announced that the executions were being put off till the next day, because of a very important event.
The cake with the balloon man in the middle was taken back to the kitchen.
The gluttons were all sober now.
They crowded around Tutti the Heir and listened to his story.
"I was sitting on the grass in the park, and the doll was sitting next to me.
We were hoping there'd be an eclipse of the sun.
It's very interesting, you know.
I read about it in a book yesterday.
When there's an eclipse, you can see the stars in the day-time.
The boy was sobbing so much he could hardly talk.
And so one of his tutors told them the whole story of what had happened, However, the tutor was having quite a bit of trouble speaking himself, as he was trembling with fright.
"I was near Tutti the Heir and his doll.
I was sitting in the sun with my face turned up.
I have a wart on my nose and I thought the sun would make it go away.
Suddenly, some Guards appeared.
There were twelve of them.