an' rest
now, an' I'll tell ye all a story thet hez a bearin' right on that
point."

She turned to the four maids of honor seated behind her.

"Now you girls can jest's well come an' set in front o' me while I'm
talkin'. I'll like it a heap better, I'm sure."

With great diffidence on the part of her attendants, and after much
coaxing on Rebecca's part, this change was accomplished. The idea of
being seated in the presence of royalty was in itself quite distasteful
to these young courtiers, but upon this Rebecca had insisted from the
first. It made her feel tired, she said, to see people standing
continually on their feet.

"Well," she began, when all were disposed to their satisfaction, "it all
happened in my country, ye know. 'Twas 'bout ten years ago now, I
guess--or rather then--I mean it will be----"

Clarissa's wondering eyes caught the speaker's attention and she
coughed.

"Never mind when 'twas," she went on. "Ye see, things are very different
here--time as well's the rest. However, 'long 'bout then, my cousin Ann
Slocum took a notion to 'nvite me down to Keene fer a little visit.
Phoebe--thet's my sister--she said I could go jest's well's not, an'
so I went. The fust night I was there, when dinner was over, of course I
offered to wash up the dishes, seem'----"

An involuntary and unanimous gasp of amazement from her fair auditors
cut Rebecca short at this point.

"Well," she said, a little anxiously, "what's the matter? Anythin'
wrong?"

The Lady Clarissa ventured to voice the general sentiment.

"Did we hear aright, your Highness?" she asked. "Said you--'wash up the
dishes'?"

"Oh!" said Rebecca, conscious for the first time of her slip, "did that
puzzle ye?"

"Do queens and princesses perform menial offices in America?" asked the
Honorable Lady Margaret.

Short as was the time allowed, it had sufficed for Rebecca to compose a
form of words which should not wound her conscience by direct falsehood,
while not undeceiving her hearers as to her rank.

"Why, to tell ye the truth," she said, in a semi-confidential manner,
"all the queens and princesses there are in America wash the dishes
after dinner."

There was some whispering among the girls at this, and Rebecca's ears
caught the expressions "passing strange" and "most wonderful" more than
once.

She waited until the first excitement thus produced had subsided and
then proceeded.

"Of course Cousin Ann hadn't no objection, an' so I wen