can come of saying that His Royal Highness
peaks and pines just as he did before."

"He is none the better for country air then?"

"Oh no? except that he cries louder. Such a time as we had last
night! Mrs. Royer never slept a wink all the time I was there, but
walked about with him all night. You had the best of it, Miss
Woodford."

"He slept while I was there," said Anne briefly, not thinking it
needful to state that the tired nurse had handed the child over to
her, and that he had fallen asleep in her arms. She tried to put an
end to the conversation by going indoors, but she was vexed to find
that, instead of following her closely, Miss Humphreys was still
lingering with the equerry.

Anne found the household in commotion. Pauline met her, weeping
bitterly, and saying the Prince had had a fit, and all hope was
over, and in the rockers' room, she found Hester Bridgeman
exclaiming that her occupation was gone. Water-gruel, she had no
doubt, had been the death of the Prince. The Queen was come, and
wellnigh distracted. She had sent out in quest of a wet-nurse, but
it was too late; he was going the way of all Her Majesty's children.

Going down again together the two girls presently had to stand aside
as the poor Queen, seeing and hearing nothing, came towards her own
room with her handkerchief over her face. They pressed each other's
hands awe-stricken, and went on to the nursery. There Mrs. Labadie
was kneeling over the cradle, her hood hanging over her face, crying
bitterly over the poor little child, who had a blue look about his
face, and seemed at the last gasp, his features contorted by a
convulsion.

At that moment Jane Humphreys was seen gently opening the door and
letting in Colonel Sands, who moved as quietly as possible, to give
a furtive look at the dying child. His researches were cut short,
however. Lady Strickland, usually the gentlest of women, darted out
and demanded what he was doing in her nursery.

He attempted to stammer some excuse about Princess Anne, but Lady
Strickland only answered by standing pointing to the door and he was
forced to retreat in a very undignified fashion.

"Who brought him?" she demanded, when the door was shut. "Those
Cockpit folk are not to come prying here, hap what may!"

Miss Humphreys had sped away for fear of questions being asked, and
attention was diverted by Mrs. Royer arriving with a stout, healthy-
looking young woman in a thick home-spun