I've always heard that doing nothing was tiresome. Perhaps you'd like
to take a chair and sit down? I really must go on with my churning.'

'It isn't that kind of tired that I mean,' said he; 'but if you'll let
me sit down in the dairy I don't mind.' Rosamund made no objection, so
he vaulted over the counter and they went into the dairy together.
'I'm so tired waiting!' he added, with a sigh.

'And what are you waiting for, may I ask?'

'For something great to happen!'

'Oh! Then why don't you make it happen?'

'I wish I could!' sighed the young man.

Rosamund tied her apron on again, and laid hold of the churn-handle.

'What do you call great?' she asked, beginning to work it up and down.

The young man took his gold coin meditatively between his thumb and
forefinger and twisted it on its silken string.

'Greatness is everything that I have not, and want to have,' he said.

'Such as what?'

'Oh, power and wealth, and to be above other men, and to have them
look up to me and obey me. That is greatness.'

'Pooh!' exclaimed Rosamund, working her churn vigorously. 'I shouldn't
care about such greatness as that.'

'Not care about it, Rosamund?'

'Not so much as a pat of butter, Raymond. What do you want of wealth?
Are you hungry, pray, or thirsty? I will give you as much of the best
milk, fresh from the cow, as you can drink; and all the wealth in the
world couldn't help you to drink more. As for power--however high it
brought you, it couldn't make you yourself higher by so much as a
single inch: you would still be the same Raymond you are now, even if
you were an emperor--yes, or that Appanage of Royalty you've been
thinking and talking about all these dozen years or more. Why do you
want people to look up to you and obey you, I should like to know?
Can't you see that it's not you they would look up to, but your ermine
robe and silk stockings----'

'Ah! my mother once washed one of the King's silk stockings--the left
one,' murmured Raymond; 'and the Appanage of Royalty said that some
day, perhaps, he would give me his yellow cap----'

'And golden crown,' continued Rosamund, not noticing the interruption.
'You silly boy! they would obey the crown, not you, though you might
happen to be wearing it. If you think it would be yourself they cared
for, just go to London as you are now and order them about! But if I
were you I'd rather be truly loved by one--person than be obeyed by
one hundred thousand.'

'Bu