The Missing Prince

In Short

G. E. Farrow’s nonsense fantasy follows a young boy, known simply as Boy, who shrinks to a miniature stature and travels to the strange land of Zum. Amidst political absurdities, missing royalty, and lost luggage, he navigates a whimsical world alongside an earnest wooden soldier named Sergeant One-and-Nine. The narrative gently parodies Victorian society, parliamentary bureaucracy, and social posturing through playful wordplay and eccentric characters. It has endured as an inventive period piece that captures the specific, dreamlike logic of classic English children's nonsense literature.

The Story

The narrative opens with a preface where the author directly addresses his young readers, expressing warm affection, asking for their critiques, and thanking illustrator Harry Furniss and his daughter Dorothy. The story itself begins as Boy steps out into the night and encounters Pierrot and the Moon. Upon embarking on his journey, Boy discovers that descending a set of stairs steadily shrinks his height until he stands only six inches tall. Along his initial path, he meets an invisible, opinionated Pin who sharply asserts its national importance before Boy attends a party hosted by the pretentious Waxxe-Dolls at Sand Castle. Here, Boy witnesses the social rivalries of toy dolls, plays a game of financial speculation called "Stock Brokers" with blue paper, and meets Sergeant One-and-Nine, a wooden soldier who becomes his faithful companion.

Boy’s travels take him underwater into an educated aquatic society managed by Professor Crab. Beneath the ocean, he encounters lobsters on bicycles, sea-urchin schoolboys, and the Prince of Whales heading to open a home for barnacles. On a steamship, an American King Crab boasts aggressively of giant transatlantic oysters, while blackfaced Soles sing satirical ballads about the elusive Great Sea Serpent. Upon returning to dry land, Boy and One-and-Nine consult an M.D. whose patients—such as Lumbago and Whooping Cough—walk the streets as physical entities, accompanied by a growing "Doctor's Bill" who gets into physical brawls with a "Grocer's Bill."

Arriving in the capital city of Zum, the travelers encounter a crisis of state. King Robert the Twentieth has died, and his true heir, the Crown Prince, disappeared five years ago following a spat over a lost Portmanteau containing clean collars and a toffee recipe. Suddenly, a widow named Mrs. Nimpky arrives bearing the Crown Prince’s young son, little Prince Robert. She reveals that the Crown Prince and Princess were rendered invisible by the magician Ohah on behalf of the King of Limesia. The committee quickly crowns the toddler as King Robert the Twenty-first. However, when the child king demands a parliament made entirely of children, the adult ministers ridiculously disguise themselves in bibs and play leapfrog. The sly magician Ohah convinces the officials to make the child king invisible as well, prompting a chaotic general election where everyone—including a street cat—runs for office.

To resolve the anarchy, Boy bravely ventures through Grim Forest, retrieves the missing Portmanteau, and delivers it to Limesia. The recovery of the luggage breaks the spell: the adult Crown Prince and Princess become visible and return to reclaim the throne of Zum, restoring order. As the populace happily gives up their temporary royal titles, Boy bids farewell and boards the Moon once more with the Pierrot Troupe. When over-eager guests crowd into the Moon, it capsizes, sending Boy falling through space. He awakens in a Scarborough hotel bed to a servant knocking on his door, realizing his grand adventure was an elaborate dream.

How It Unfolds

The shrinking voyage Boy steps into the night, bids farewell to Pierrot, and discovers that walking down a flight of steps shrinks him to six inches tall. Along the way, he encounters a surprisingly sharp Pin that sings of its own national importance.

The toy party At Sand Castle, Boy attends a gathering hosted by the ostentatious Waxxe-Dolls, observing class snubbery among toy figures. He learns the game of "Stock Brokers" by keeping paper shares afloat in the air until he goes broke.

The submarine city Diving underwater, Boy learns from Professor Crab that ocean life has built civilized cities with paved streets and architecture. He watches lobsters ride bicycles, chats with an American King Crab, and listens to fish perform songs on deck.

The medical town Boy meets an M.D. who walks through town identifying his diseases as physical citizens strolling the streets. The doctor's servant, an actual "Doctor's Bill," grows exponentially and gets into a fistfight with a "Grocer's Bill."

The crisis in Zum In the realm of Zum, a governing committee debates how to replace their deceased king. A nurse arrives with the missing Crown Prince's child, explaining that the boy's parents were turned invisible by a magician following a feud over a missing suitcase.

The children's parliament After being crowned, the toddler king refuses to listen to elderly politicians and demands a parliament of children. The adult ministers reluctantly dress in bibs, wear short trousers, and play games to keep their political appointments.

The general election The magician Ohah tricks the ministers into making the child king invisible too, forcing a wild general election. Everyone in town runs for king, creating absurd political campaigns, including a local cat petitioning for votes.

The missing luggage Boy single-handedly treks through Grim Forest carrying the long-lost Portmanteau to the King of Limesia. The return of the luggage restores the invisible royals to sight, allowing the true Crown Prince to return and peacefully take the throne.

The fall from the sky Boy boards the Moon to return home, but dozens of foolish ministers put on artificial wings and overload the vehicle. The Moon tilts upside down, spilling everyone out, causing Boy to wake up in his seaside hotel room.

The People

• Boy, the sensible child protagonist who serves as the reader's eyes through a succession of baffling environments. He wants to navigate the strange lands safely, remaining polite, brave, and remarkably pragmatic when faced with absurdity. Though constantly bewildered by adult foolishness, he remains grounded and helpful, ultimately resolving a national crisis by personally retrieving the missing Portmanteau.
• Sergeant One-and-Nine, a loyal wooden soldier who becomes Boy’s constant traveling companion. He yearns for romance and spends much of his time attempting to write romantic poetry to win the affections of the royal nurse, Mrs. Nimpky. Though simple-minded and rigid, his devotion to Boy is unwavering throughout their strange journeys.
• The Lord High Adjudicator, the head of the governing committee of Zum who desperately wants to maintain his political power and maintain order. Hindered by his own silliness, he willingly wears a bib and plays childhood games to retain his office, eventually succumbing to the sneaky schemes of the magician Ohah.
• Mrs. Martha Matilda Nimpky, the devoted nurse to the young prince. She seeks safety for her royal charge while navigating court politics in bright yellow satin dresses and ever-changing hair colors, eventually winning the affection of Sergeant One-and-Nine.
• Ohah, a cunning magician from Limesia who uses spellwork to make royal figures invisible over petty diplomatic slights, driving the political instability of Zum.

In Its Own Voice

"A professor," he explained, "is one who professes to know more than he really does, and all schoolmasters do that more or less, whether they admit it or not--they are obliged to; however, let’s change the subject; it is a painful one.

Professor Crab delivers this dry, cynical assessment of academic authority while guiding Boy through the underwater city.

"Ahem! I should like to suggest," said the Minister of Experiments, coughing importantly and standing up to address the meeting, "that instead of reducing his salary we should reduce his title, and that, instead of his being known as His Insignificance the Court Poet, he should in future be called His Absolute Nothingness the Public Rhymester."

During a parliamentary session in Zum, the committee punishes their struggling poet with bureaucratic demotions rather than constructive aid.

"Why, ever since my wife has been a Queen she has been as disagreeable as she can possibly be, and insists upon ‘standing on her diginity,’ as she describes it, at home. I mustn’t call her ‘my dear’ if you please, it’s too familiar--‘Your Majesty’ this, and ‘Your Majesty’ that, is what she likes, till I’m tired of hearing it."

A common citizen complains to Boy about the domestic annoyances caused by the brief period where every inhabitant was elected a monarch.

What It's Really About

Beneath its playful exterior, the book functions as a subtle satire of late-Victorian social climbing, institutional incompetence, and political vanity. The story continuously pokes fun at the arbitrary nature of human authority: politicians willingly degrade themselves to hold onto power, useless titles are handed out like party favors, and entire international rivalries are fought over lost luggage containing clean collars. Farrow contrasts the clear, honest logic of a child against the convoluted, self-important rules of the adult world. Language itself is treated as a malleable, slippery tool, where puns become physical reality—such as financial "shares" literalized as paper thrown into the air, or medical bills actively fighting grocers' bills in the street.

Why Read It Today

This volume offers a delightful window into the golden age of English children's nonsense fiction. Fans of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland will instantly recognize the narrative's breezy, episodic structure, linguistic playfulness, and subversion of adult authority. Farrow’s writing possesses a gentle warmth, evident in his direct prefaces to young readers, while his prose remains sharp, witty, and surprisingly modern in its comedic timing.

Reading the work today presents very few narrative obstacles. Modern readers should note that the prose reflects Victorian sensibilities, including brief appearances of period stage tropes—such as fish dressed in minstrel costumes—which reflect the theatrical entertainment of the late nineteenth century. However, the book’s charming core remains thoroughly accessible. It offers a fast-paced, humorous adventure filled with memorable imagery, from bicycle-riding lobsters to citizens wearing dish-covers as crowns. It remains a memorable, rewarding discovery for anyone curious about the historical literary traditions that shaped modern fantasy.