t element."

How it would have done so the dear lady did not stop to explain; she
rattled on merely because she had become aware that Charlotte was
looking at her with a suspiciousness that was rather disconcerting. In
her heart of hearts she was a little bit afraid of Charlotte, or of what
Charlotte might do. She had not the key to her character; and when the
Princess took advantage of a so-called holiday and a change of locality
in order to develop new habits and drop certain conventions--especially
conventions of dress--her Majesty became uneasy. But just now she was
trying for special reasons to drive with a light rein; she wanted
Charlotte to enjoy herself, to feel that in this place she could have
things more her own way than was customary, and so develop associations
which would draw her back to the locality. So far the quite unusual
experiment of accompanying the King to his cure had been a success; the
people of Bad-as-Bad were delighted at the compliment of receiving
Jingalese royalty in the form of a family party; all the aunts and other
female relatives of the absent Prince had been most pleasant and
attentive; and Charlotte herself had responded to the release accorded
her from Court etiquette by becoming wonderfully well and looking really
very handsome.

One day, quite unbeknownst to her mother, she had gone right up the
inside of the green copper spire of the old Rathhaus, and there seated
within its perforated cupola had drunk from a glass of native wine, and
thrown the rest of it, glass and all, down the spire--an ancient custom
which, as she only heard afterwards, entitled its performer, though of
outside extraction, to make her own selection and marry locally.

"So now you have become a native of us," said a chuckling old
Margravine, great-aunt to the Prince, when informed of the exploit by
one of her grand-nephews who had mischievously lured Charlotte on. "Now
you cannot go back!"

For these small princelings were ready enough to make a Jingalese
princess feel at home in their midst. But the whole thing, in view of
its local color, was rather precipitate and indecorous; and when the
Queen heard of it, and of its special application, from the old
match-making Margravine with whom she had shared confidences, she was
aghast. "Charlotte," she cried, "whatever did you do that for?"

"I did it for fun, mamma."

"But, my dear, it was such a very--forward thing to do!"

Why it was so "forward" Charl