, I hope, trust
you to see that the prize is awarded to the rightful winner. What I
am telling you now is that the Prince Udo is arriving to-morrow."

Belvane looked innocently puzzled.

"Prince Udo--Udo--would that be Prince Udo of Carroway, your Royal
Highness? A tall man with three legs?"

"Prince Udo of Araby," said Hyacinth severely. "I think I have
already mentioned him to your ladyship. He will make a stay of some
months."

"But how _delightful_, your Royal Highness, to see a man again! We
were all getting so dull together! We want a man to wake us up a
little, don't we, Wiggs? I will go and give orders about his room at
once, your Royal Highness. You will wish him to be in the Purple
Room, of course?"

That settled it.

"He will be in the Blue Room," said Hyacinth decidedly.

"Certainly, your Royal Highness. Fancy, Wiggs, a man again! I will
go and see about it now, if I may have your Royal Highness's leave to
withdraw?"

A little mystified by Belvane's manner, Hyacinth inclined her head,
and the Countess withdrew.

CHAPTER XI

WATERCRESS SEEMS TO GO WITH THE EARS

Wiggs gave a parting pat to the tablecloth and stood looking at it
with her head on one side.

"Now, then," she said, "have we got everything?"

"What about sardines?" said Woggs in her common way. (I don't know
what she's doing in this scene at all, but Roger Scurvilegs insists on
it.)

"I don't think a _Prince_ would like _sardines_," said Wiggs.

"If _I'd_ been on a long journey, I'd _love_ sardines. It _is_ a very
long journey from Araby, isn't it?"

"Awful long. Why, it's taken him nearly a week. Perhaps," she added
hopefully, "he's had something on the way."

"Perhaps he took some sandwiches with him," said Woggs, thinking that
this would be a good thing to do.

"What do you think he'll be like, Woggs?"

Woggs though for a long time.

"Like the King," she said. "Only different," she added, as an
afterthought.

Up came the Princess for the fifth time that afternoon, all
excitement.

"Well," she said, "is everything ready?"

"Yes, your Royal Highness. Except Woggs and me didn't quite know
about sardines."

The Princess laughed happily.

"I think there will be enough there for him. It all looks very nice."

She turned round and discovered behind her the last person she wanted
to see just then.

The-last-person-she-wanted-to-see-just-then curtsied effectively.

"Forgive me, your Royal Hig