ne Room," he said, "and to convey her and Prince Mirliflor's
regret that you should have been subjected to any inconvenience by
having permitted her departure to Clairdelune."

Queen Selina--or rather Mrs. Wibberley-Stimpson, as she was now once
more--hastily rose from her knees. So the Baron had disobeyed his
orders, and Miss Heritage did not even know that they had been given!
This was indeed an unhoped-for deliverance. _What_ a mercy, she thought,
that it had come just before she had spoken words she could never have
recalled! "Kindly assure--your Mistress," she said, with all the dignity
of fallen grandeur, "that while we cannot but feel that we have been
most unjustly suspected, we are willing to make every allowance for the
circumstances, and shall have much pleasure in coming down to offer our
congratulations presently. But first I want to see the Princess Royal
and Princess Ruby if they are well enough to leave their dungeons."

"Your daughters, Madam, have merely been required to remain in their own
apartments, and are in perfect health," he replied; "I will have them
conducted to you immediately."

"Oh, Mummy!" exclaimed Ruby a little later, as she ran to her Mother's
arms, "is it really true? Aren't you and Daddy King and Queen any more?"

"No, my darling," said Mrs. Wibberley-Stimpson, "it seems the people
would rather have Miss Heritage."

"Oh, I don't mind so much if it's Daphne. And will Prince Mirliflor be
King?"

"I really can't say how they will arrange it--nor does it interest me
_what_ they may do."

"It does _me_," said Ruby. "I hope they'll let us stay here with them."

"I consider it most unlikely--even if I were willing to be a guest in my
own Palace. But I've no doubt they will make some suitable provision for
us."

"Speaking for myself, Mother," said Edna, "I should be far happier
leading a simple life in retirement than ever I've been in this
pretentious place. And, though I never cared much about being a
Princess, we can scarcely be treated as commoners after what we _have_
been."

"I shall settle all these matters myself with Miss Herit--Queen Daphne,
I suppose I _ought_ to call her, but it's so difficult to get into just
at once. And now I think we will all go down to the Throne Room.
Remember on no account to show the slightest ill-feeling. Let her see
that, if we have lost everything else, we still retain our manners."

She was herself so far from betraying any ill-feeling wh