dig properly than that she should dig herself. For, giving him her
spade, she stood over him and urged him to ply it with the exacting
persistence of a biblical Egyptian superintending the making of bricks.
The baron walked moodily up and down outside the castle wall,
considering bitterly the while the defects in the cosmos.

The morning sped; and the prince perspired. At last the punctual baron
observed that it was time to return home to lunch. In fact his
vigilant stomach apprised him of the fact before his watch.

He came close to the castle wall and said:

"It's time for your Highness to coom 'ome."

His highness took no notice of him.

In a louder tone the baron said:

"Coom along, your Highness. Id's dime we go 'ome."

His highness shot a savage glance at him out of the corner of his eye,
hunched his shoulders, and went on digging.

"Don't you hear the baron calling you, Prince?" said Pollyooly in a
tone of some displeasure.

His highness seemed likely to withdraw his head right out of sight
between his shoulders, and went on digging. He was still perspiring.

"Now you go along at once--like a good boy!" said Pollyooly sharply.

His highness raised his disappearing head and saw the cold resolve in
her deep-blue eyes. He gave himself a little shake, stuck his spade
into the sand, stretched his neck and went: but not like a good boy.
He stumbled down the castle wall with his teeth set very tight, and
immediately on reaching level ground kicked the shins of his unprepared
preceptor. The baron, as was his wont, bent like a bow and held his
little charge out at the length of his arms beyond the range of his
shins, till his wrath should have abated.

Pollyooly's face filled with horror; she came springing lightly down
the castle wall; cried: "Don't do that, you naughty little boy!" and
caught the prince a resounding slap on the cheek.

The pent-up feelings of the prince escaped in a loud yell. He loosed
his preceptor and pressed a hand to his stinging cheek.

It was too much for the baron. He tore his hat from his head, flung it
to earth, ground it into the earth with his heel, and flung his arms to
heaven in one frenzied movement:

"Ach Gott!" he cried to the unregarding sky. "Thad a liddle
Eengleesh-she-devil-child should strike a Hohenzollern!"

Moved by his emotion, Pollyooly looked at him in anxious surprise:

"It's all right," she said in a soothing voice. "You don't know how to
mana