had
hoped for the Twins, heard that he had been chosen, she accepted him
with resignation. Doctor Arbuthnot undertook to arrange the matter.

The disappointed princess informed the Twins of the election of
Wiggins; and they cheered her by reporting favorably on the
qualifications of their friend, though Erebus said somewhat sadly:

"Of course, he'll insist on being an Indian chief and scalping you; he
always does. But you mustn't mind that."

The princess thought that she would not mind it; it would at any rate
be a change from listening monotonously to the snores of the baroness.

The Twins found it much more difficult to comfort and cheer their
fair-haired, freckled, but infuriated friend. Not only was his
reluctance to don the immaculate morning dress of an English young
gentleman for the delectation of foreign princesses every whit as
sincere as their own, but he felt the invitation to play with a little
girl far more insulting than they would have done. They did their best
to soothe him and make things pleasant for the princess, pointing out
to him the richness of the teas he would assuredly enjoy, and
impressing on him the fact that he would be performing a noble
charitable action.

"Yes; that's all very well," said Wiggins gloomily. "But I've been
seeing ever such a little of you lately in the afternoons; and now I
shall see less than ever."

Naturally, he was at first somewhat stiff with the princess; but the
stiffness did not last; they became very good active friends; and he
scalped her with gratifying frequency. In this way it came about that,
in the matter of play, the princess led a double life. She spent the
early part of the afternoon in the wood with the Twins; and from tea
till the dressing-bell for dinner rang she enjoyed the society of
Wiggins. She told no one of her friendship with the Twins; and Wiggins
was surprised by her eagerness to hear everything about them he could
tell. Between them she was beginning to acquire cheerfulness and
muscle; and she was losing her air of delicacy, but not at a rate that
satisfied the exigent Terror.

CHAPTER X

AND THE ENTERTAINMENT OF ROYALTY

The time had come for the Twins to take their annual change of air.
They took that change at but a short distance from their home, since
the cost of a visit to the sea was more than their mother could afford.
They were allowed to encamp for ten days, if the weather were fine, in
the dry sandstone