he does of his dear
little self. And if those things do not show a truly royal nature, I do
not know what does . . .

Teuta has read this. She held up a warning finger, and said:

"Aunt Janet dear, that is all true. He is a dear, and a King, and an
angel! But we mustn't have too much about him just yet. This book is to
be about Rupert. So our little man can only be what we shall call a
corollary." And so it is.

I should mention here that the book is Teuta's idea. Before little
Rupert came she controlled herself wonderfully, doing only what was
thought best for her under the circumstances. As I could see that it
would be a help for her to have some quiet occupation which would
interest her without tiring her, I looked up (with his permission, of
course) all Rupert's old letters and diaries, and journals and
reports--all that I had kept for him during his absences on his
adventures. At first I was a little afraid they might harm her, for at
times she got so excited over some things that I had to caution her.
Here again came in her wonderful self-control. I think the most soothing
argument I used with her was to point out that the dear boy had come
through all the dangers safely, and was actually with us, stronger and
nobler than ever.

After we had read over together the whole matter several times--for it
was practically new to me too, and I got nearly as excited as she was,
though I have known him so much longer--we came to the conclusion that
this particular volume would have to be of selected matter. There is
enough of Rupert's work to make a lot of volumes and we have an ambitious
literary project of some day publishing an _edition de luxe_ of his whole
collected works. It will be a rare showing amongst the works of Kings.
But this is to be all about himself, so that in the future it may serve
as a sort of backbone of his personal history.

By-and-by we came to a part when we had to ask him questions; and he was
so interested in Teuta's work--he is really bound up body and soul in his
beautiful wife, and no wonder--that we had to take him into full
confidence. He promised he would help us all he could by giving us the
use of his later journals, and such letters and papers as he had kept
privately. He said he would make one condition--I use his own words: "As
you two dear women are to be my editors, you must promise to put in
everything exactly as I wrote it. It will not do to have any fake about