hness," she said profusely, "but I thought
I had left Charlotte Patacake's priceless manuscript up here. No;
evidently I was mistaken, your Royal Highness. I will withdraw, your
Royal Highness, as I know your Royal Highness would naturally wish to
receive his Royal Highness alone."

Listening to this speech one is impressed with Woggs' method of
calling everybody "Mum."

"Not at all, Countess," said Hyacinth coldly. "We would prefer you to
stay and help us receive his Royal Highness. He is a little late, I
think."

Belvane looked unspeakably distressed.

"Oh, I do _hope_ that nothing has happened to him on the way," she
exclaimed. "I've an uneasy feeling that something may have occurred."

[Illustration: _Princess Hyacinth gave a shriek and faltered slowly
backwards_]

"What could have happened to him?" asked Hyacinth, not apparently very
much alarmed.

"Oh, your Royal Highness, it's just a sort of silly feeling of mine.
There may be nothing in it."

There was a noise of footsteps from below; a man's voice was heard.
The Princess and the Countess, both extremely nervous, but from
entirely different reasons, arranged suitable smiles of greeting upon
their faces; Wiggs and Woggs stood in attitudes of appropriate
meekness by the table. The Court Painter could have made a beautiful
picture of it.

"His Royal Highness Prince Udo of Araby," announced the voice of an
attendant.

"A nervous moment," said Belvane to herself. "Can the ring have
failed to act?"

Udo trotted in.

"It hasn't," said Belvane.

Princess Hyacinth gave a shriek, and faltered slowly backwards; Wiggs,
who was familiar with these little accidents in the books which she
dusted, and Woggs, who had a natural love for any kind of animal,
stood their ground.

"Whatever is it?" murmured Hyacinth.

It was as well that Belvane was there.

"Allow me to present to your Royal Highness," she said, stepping
forward, "his Royal Highness Prince Udo of Araby."

"Prince _Udo?_" said Hyacinth, all unwilling to believe it.

"I'm afraid so," said Udo gloomily. He had thought over this meeting
a good deal in the last two or three days, and he realised now that he
had underestimated the difficulties of it.

Hyacinth remembered that she was a Princess and a woman.

"I'm delighted to welcome your Royal Highness to Euralia," she said.
"Won't you sit down--I mean up--er, down." (How _did_ rabbits sit?
Or whatever he was?)

Udo decided to sit u