er in her beautiful rooms. She put out
her arm towards Nono, who had drawn near to her in his eagerness, and
was now close at her side. Affectionately her white slender hand was
laid on the boy's, as she said,--

"Yes, Nono, your little Decima shall have a place in my home for sick
children. I will have the permit made out at once, and she can come as
soon as 'Mother Karin' can send her."

The princess spoke aside to the fair lady, who began to write the few
words that were necessary, but stopped to ask Nono the full name of the
patient.

"Decima Desideria Persson," was the prompt reply.

"Desideria!" said the princess, with a pleasant smile. "That was my
grandmother's name, so the little girl half belongs to me to take care
of."

"We don't call her Desideria," said Nono truthfully. "She had that
name because it stands in the almanac, and seemed to sound well with
Decima, Mother Karin thought; and besides, she wanted the only little
girl to have a name-day to keep as well as the boys.".

Again the pleasant smile came into the face of the princess. She wrote
in a free and flowing hand her signature to the permit, which was duly
placed in an envelope and given to Nono.

"Since Decima Desideria is to be my guest, I must pay for her journey,"
said the princess.

Nono received the generous gift, and dared to kiss the hand that gave
it. He was too full of joy and gratitude to express himself fully by
his murmured thanks.

"I understand you, Nono," said the princess. "You can go now. Perhaps
we shall meet again, some day; perhaps up there, if we both love the
dear Lord and try to be his true children." The thin hand made a sweep
upwards towards heaven, whither Nono, child as he was, felt that his
princess was going, all too soon for the mourning hearts she would
leave behind her.

So ended Nono's visit to the royal palace. The princess sank wearily
back in her chair when the fair lady had gone out with Nono. On her
mild face there was a shadow that betokened something more than
weariness. That little boy she had trusted so implicitly while she
looked into his clear eyes, what if he should prove an impostor? She
had had her own bitter experience from the falsehoods of the apparently
needy. "No! Nono is not an impostor, I am sure," she said to herself.
"Little Decima, no doubt, ought to be taken care of immediately." A
slight smile came over her thoughtful face as she recalled the unusual
name.