"The truth is also," he observed a moment later, "that the boy has very
few pleasures. He is alone a great deal."

General Mettlich raised his shaggy head. Many years of wearing a
soldier's cap had not injured his heavy gray hair. He had bristling
eyebrows, white new, and a short, fighting mustache. When he was
irritated, or disagreed with any one, his eyebrows came down and the
mustache went up.

Many years of association with his king had given him the right to talk
to him as man to man. They even quarreled now and then. It was a brave
man who would quarrel with old Ferdinand II.

So now his eyebrows came down and his mustache went up. "How--alone,
sire?"

"You do not regard that bigoted Englishwoman as a companion, do you?"

"He is attached to her."

"I'm damned if I know why," observed the old King. "She doesn't appear
to have a single human quality."

Human quality! General Mettlich eyed his king with concern. Since when
had the reigning family demanded human qualities in their governesses?
"She is a thoughtful and conscientious woman, sire," he said stiffly. It
happened that he had selected her. "She does her duty. And as to the boy
being lonely, he has no time to be lonely. His tutors--"

"How old is he?"

"Ten next month."

The King said nothing for a time. Then--"It is hard," he said at
last, "for seventy-four to see with the eyes of ten. As for this
afternoon--why in the name of a thousand devils did they take him to see
the 'Flying Dutchman'? I detest it."

"Her Royal Highness--"

"Annunciata is a fool," said His Majesty. Then dismissing his daughter
with a gesture, "We don't know how to raise our children here," he said
impatiently. "The English do better. And even the Germans--"

It is not etiquette to lower one's eyebrows at a king, and glare. But
General Mettlich did it. He was rather a poor subject. "The Germans have
not our problem, sire," he said, and stuck up his mustache.

"I'm not going to raise the boy a prisoner," insisted the King
stubbornly. Kings have to be very stubborn about things. So many people
disapprove of the things they want to do.

Suddenly General Mettlich bent forward and placed a hand on the old
man's knee. "We shall do well, sire," he said gravely, "to raise the boy
at all."

There was a short silence, which the King broke. "What is new?"

"We have broken up the University meetings, but I fancy they go on,
in small groups. I was gratified, however, to obser