somewhat lagging ardour, none could say with any certainty, but when
they eventually re-appeared, Queen Selina observed with positive horror
that they were walking hand-in-hand.

"It's quite all right, Mother," said Edna, as they came within speaking
distance; "Ruprecht and I are engaged."

"Engaged!" spluttered King Sidney. "You've got to get your Mother's
consent for that, you know. And we couldn't hear of it. Not for a
moment! Eh, my love?"

"Of course not!" said the Queen. "Entirely out of the question!"

"We expected this," remarked Edna calmly. "But no amount of opposition
will make the slightest difference to _us_--will it, Ruprecht?"

"Not the slightest," he replied. "At least--to ME."

"But think, my dear, only _think_!" the distressed Queen entreated Edna.
"After you've just made us all so unpopular by refusing a Prince, you
simply _can't_ go and engage yourself to some one whose position is so
far beneath your own!"

"Ruprecht is above me in every sense," said Edna; "and because I'm a
Princess by no wish of mine is no reason why I should sacrifice myself
for reasons of state. I utterly and entirely deny that any parents, no
matter what their position in life, have the right nowadays to dictate
to their children whom they should marry or not marry. Of course, I
would rather you were sensible enough to recognise our engagement, but
if you aren't, I shall simply marry Ruprecht just the same."

Queen Selina reflected. If she refused consent, it would only end in a
still worse situation. And, after all, she would have been proud enough
in her Gablehurst days to be able to announce her daughter's engagement
to a real Count with a fine and ancient castle.

"Well," she said, "if it's understood that there must be no thought of
marriage for at least a year----"

"Oh, Ruprecht will wait a year for me--won't you, Ruprecht? But the
engagement must be proclaimed at once--we insist on _that_. And now you
may kiss Mother, Ruprecht, and tell her that you already look on
yourself as her son."

The Count stooped to give his prospective Mother-in-law an amateurish
embrace, while Ruby fled, fearing that her own turn would come next.
"Good Lord, Edna!" said Clarence, drawing her aside, "have you gone
dotty or what? To go and chuck a real good sort like Mirliflor, and then
take this overgrown bounder--it beats me what you can see in the
beggar!"

"I see a man, Clarence, whom I feel I can really look up to."

"You'