xel were losing much by this, Manske would be weeping into his bucket
instead of smiling so kindly at us."

"So he would," said Anna, a little reassured by that cheerful and grimy
countenance. Her eyes wandered to Axel, so cool and so vigilant, giving
the necessary orders so quietly, losing no precious moments in trying to
save what was past saving, and without any noise or any abuse getting
what he wanted done. "It _can't_ be a good thing, a fire like this," she
said to herself. "Whatever they say, it _can't_ be a good thing."

A huge pine-tree was dragged down at that moment, dragged in a direction
away from its fellows, against a beech, whose branches it tore down in
its fall, ruining the beech for ever, but smothering a few of its own
twigs that had begun to burn among the fresh young leaves. Anna watched
the havoc going on among poor Axel's trees in silence. "He _can't_ not
care," she said to herself. He turned round quickly at that moment, as
though he heard her thinking of him, and looked straight into her eyes.
"You here!" he exclaimed, striding across the road to her at once.

"Yes, we are here," replied the princess. "We cannot let our neighbour
burn without coming to see if we can do anything. But seriously, I hear
that it is a good thing for you."

"I prefer the less good thing that I had before, just now. But it is
gone. I shall not waste time fretting over it."

He ran back again to stop something that was being done wrong, but
returned immediately to tell them to go into his house and not stand
there in the heat. "You look so tired--and anxious," he said, his eyes
searching Anna's face. "Why are you anxious? The fire has frightened
you? It is all insured, I assure you, and there is only the bother of
having to build just now."

He could not stay, and hurried back to his men.

"We can go indoors a moment," said the princess, "and see what is going
on in his house. It will be standing empty and open, and it is not
necessary that he should suffer losses from thieves as well as from
fire. His Mamsell is like all bachelors' Mamsells--losing, I am sure, no
opportunity of feathering her nest at his expense."

Anna thought this a practical way of helping Axel, since the throwing of
water on the flames was not required of her. She turned to call Letty,
and found that no Letty was to be seen. "Why, where is Letty?" she
asked, looking round.

"I thought she was behind us," said the princess.

"So did I,"