ng to a review of troops in the great Field
of Mars which occupied a central space in the largest of the royal
parks. The Princess had a healthy taste for riding in thoroughly cold
weather; she also particularly disliked to be in a carriage when those
round her were on horseback; and so, by following her own taste, when
the Prince met her she was looking her very best. Down a white-frosted
avenue of lindens she and her escort came trotting to the
saluting-point; and there, once more in his sky-blue with its sable and
silver trimmings, the Prince was presented, and opening upon her mild
blue eyes that looked curiously light in his bronzed and ruddy
countenance, with dutiful promptness he fell in love with her.

By a little quiet maneuvering and attendance to other matters the
King left them side by side for a while. Troops stood massed in the
distance waiting the signal to advance.

"Do you like soldiers?" inquired the Prince.

"It rather depends upon the uniform," replied Charlotte.

"Oh! Do you like mine?"

She looked at it, and smiled; for there were no sky-blue tunics in
Jingalo; and such cerulean tones on a man were to her eyes a little
incongruous.

"It would be rather trying to some complexions," she observed. "But you
look very well in it."

"Ah! I have been abroad," he explained. "That has given me the colors of
a Red Indian."

"You look just as if you had dropped from the sky," she said, smiling
still at him.

"Oh, no, not this sky!" and he cast up a grudging glance at the opaque
grayness overhead. "Here you seem to have a sun that looks only the
other way."

She threw back a light remark, while her eye strayed over the field.
Presently he returned to the subject.

"So you only like soldiers because of their uniforms?"

"And when they ride well. I like drums too," she added.

"Ah! good! I can play on the drum. It is my one instrument."

"Does it require much practice?"

"Oh, yes; it is very difficult--to play well. But it has been very
useful to me. I took a drum with me to South America. That is music that
the natives can understand, it can make them afraid; and when one is all
by oneself in the forest, then it helps that one shall not feel lonely.
One night when I had no fire left, I was saved my life from wild beasts
just by beating at them with my drum. It is funny that you should like
drums."

"I like something with them as well," said Charlotte.

"Ah," grunted the Prince, "that depe