saucer of cream that her mistress
condescended to pour out for her, much more thankfully than usual, and
then went off to bed, thinking that, after all, she _might_, perhaps,
vouchsafe to remain in the palace; and she dreamt all night that she
was being pursued by wolves in a forest, and was forced to take refuge
in a miserable hut, where she had nothing to eat but a bit of mouldy
cheese, and nothing to drink but a drop of muddy water.

What did little Friskarina dream about? I can't tell you; but the
first thing she thought of, when she awoke in the morning, was poor
Tibb, and the wretched cold bed she had that night--how different from
her own, with its nice soft warm cushions.

Glumdalkin got up later than usual, and looked nearly as cross as when
she went to bed; but she said nothing more about going: and
Friskarina took care at breakfast to show her every possible
good-natured attention; she gave her by much the largest share of the
cream, took the draughty side of the hearthrug herself, and, in short,
did everything she could to show that she was anxious to be kind and
civil to her; but all her little politenesses seemed nearly lost upon
Glumdalkin.

She sate, humped up, all the morning by the fire, with her shoulders
up to her ears, and with a gleam in her eyes, if anybody came near
her, that was positively savage.

The princess sat in her drawing-room, looking very thoughtful and
rather sad. It was certainly very stupid work in the drawing-room that
morning.

Friskarina got tired of such dull company, and set off into the
garden. But first of all, she ran down into the court-yard, to have a
little conversation with Bear, the watch-dog, and hear the news.
Moreover, she wanted to find out how Bear's own affairs were going on,
and whether he had enough to eat now. And so, after a little chat
about the weather, and the probability of the wolves coming down from
the mountains, and so forth, she ventured delicately to inquire into
the state of his finances, as regarded bones and such things; and she
learnt, to her great satisfaction, that, since the new cook came into
office, Bear had been living in clover, as it were. Come, thought
Friskarina, that's one good thing, however; now I may keep all my
spare bits for poor Tibb! So, after a little further conversation
about the affairs of the nation, for Bear was a great politician, and
read the 'Canine Guardian' three times a week, and talked very
learnedly about th