rousers tucked into his boots and found fault with her shoes
and stockings. She has promised to show me the place after luncheon,
and I am going to stand there myself and see if anything happens."

"You will get your feet very wet," Cecil declared.

"And sand inside your shoes," Forrest remarked.

"These," the Princess declared, "are trifles compared with the
delightful sensation of experiencing a real adventure. In any case we
must sail one afternoon, Cecil. I insist upon it. We will not play
bridge until after dinner. My luck last night was abominable. Oh, you
needn't look at me like that," she added to Cecil. "I know I won, but
that was an accident. I had bad cards all the time, and I only won
because you others had worse. Please ring the bell, Mr. Host, and see
about the boat."

"Really," Cecil remarked, as he called the butler and gave him some
instructions, "I had no idea that I was going to entertain such
enterprising guests."

"Oh, there are lots of things I mean to do!" the Princess declared. "I
am seriously thinking of going shrimping. I suppose there are shrimps
here, and I should love to tuck up my skirts and carry a big net, like
somebody's picture."

"Perhaps," Cecil suggested, "you would like to try the golf links. I
believe there are some quite decent ones not far away."

The Princess shook her head.

"No!" she answered. "Golf is too civilized a game. We will go out in a
fishing boat with plenty of cushions, and we will try to catch fish. I
know that Jeanne will love it, and that you others will hate it.
Between the two of you it should be amusing."

"Very well," Cecil declared, with an air of resignation, "whatever
happens will be upon your own shoulders. There is a boat in the village
which we can have. I will have it brought up to our own quay in an
hour's time. If the worst comes to the worst, and we are bored to
death, we can play bridge on the way."

"There will be no cards upon the boat," the Princess declared
decidedly. "I forbid them. We are going to lounge and look at the sea
and get sunburnt. Jeanne can wear a veil if she likes. I shall not."

Cecil shrugged his shoulders.

"Very well," he said. "Whatever happens, don't blame me."

* * * * *

The Princess had her way and behaved like a schoolgirl. She sat in the
most comfortable place, surrounded with a multitude of cushions, with
her tiny Japanese spaniel in her arms, and a box of French bonbons by
her side. Jeanne stood in